Rep. Todd Akin got an unlikely ally today -- Democratic rival Sen. Claire McCaskill -- as top Republicans tried to force him to quit the Missouri Senate race over his inflammatory comments about rape.
Akin has until 6 p.m. ET today to withdraw, but instead of quitting the race he posted an online video seeking forgiveness for saying that women rarely get pregnant from "legitimate rape."
Top GOP officials fear that his comments have sunk his chances of winning the Senate race and may also sink their hopes of taking control of the Senate.
McCaskill, who was trailing Akin in the polls, said today that Republican leaders should not be trying to overturn the results of the Republican primary that made Akin their candidate.
It would be "a radical thing [for Republicans] to try to force someone who had won an election honestly off the ballot just because you think you want to pick another candidate. I think that's wrong," McCaskill told St. Louis Fox affiliate KTVS.
Bill Clark/Getty Images; John Moore/Getty Images
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Watch Video "Elections are sacred," the Democrat said. "There was an election, so I think the voters of Missouri should be respected, not have some big-wig, fancy people from Washington come in here and threaten him that he's got to drop out."
Among top Republicans asking Akin to quit the race have been five Republican senators including Maine's Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Richard Burr of North Carolina who joined the chorus today.
"There is no doubt that Rep. Akin cannot -- and should not -- represent the Republican Party in this fall's general election for United States Senator from Missouri," Snowe said today.
On Monday, Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Texas's John Cornyn, head of the National Republican Senate Committee urged Akin to step aside. Additional pressure came from Karl Rove's powerful Crossroads GPS Super PAC which said it will pull all of its money out of Missouri if Akin stays in and the Tea Party Express which released a statement calling for Akin to "step down."
Akin so far has been unmoved by the appeals and has vowed to stay in the race. He tried to salvage his candidacy today by releasing a video asking voters for "forgiveness."
"Rape is an evil act" and "the mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold," Akin tells voters in the video.
When pressed Monday on both the Sean Hannity and Mike Huckabee radio shows, respectively, Akin responded said he had no plans to drop out, telling Huckabee, "I'm not a quitter."
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has condemned Akin's remarks, but stopped short of asking him to quit the race.
"Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin's statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape," the campaign said in a statement.
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