In the immediate aftermath of Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) declaring that it was biologically difficult for women who are victims of "legitimate rape" to get pregnant, top Republican officials urged him to take 24 hours to think about the damage his statement had caused and then, summarily, leave the race.
Akin has taken that day of self-reflection. And it appears that he's not going anywhere. A Democratic ad-tracking source emailed over the following news on Tuesday morning.
"Akin just placed ad time starting for tomorrow," the source emailed. "Orders just came down in St Louis. August 22-27."
Akin has to get out of the race by 5:00 p.m. CDT. After that a court order would be needed to remove a name from the ballot.
Putting money into an ad campaign suggests that he has decided to dismiss that deadline and plow ahead with this campaign. The Democratic-leaning polling firm PPP found that Akin remains in a statistical dead heat with Sen. Claire McCaskill, even after making his rape comments. And while top Republican groups have said they are cutting off their financial support for his campaign, it's likely that social conservatives have helped fill the void.
Akin has already released an ad apologizing for his choice of words.
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