Missouri Republican Todd Akin's comments on rape sent the GOP into a tailspin. Party leaders and the media all but gave the win to the Democrats. But it's still anyone's race.
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Reporter: THE "SHOW ME"
STATE IS PROUD OF PRODUCING
HARD WORKERS WITH A HEALTHY
DOSE OF SKEPTICISM.
MISSOURIANS ARE ALSO KNOWN
FOR BEING POSITIVE, BUT IT
IS HARD TO TELL BY THE
BITTER CAMPAIGN ADS.
TODD AKIN IS SCARY.
I'M AFRAID OF WHAT HE'LL
DO IN CONGRESS.
CORRUPT CLAIRE.
Reporter: OBSERVERS
EXPECTED NASTINESS BETWEEN
CLAIRE MCCASKILL AND
REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER TODD
AKIN, GIVEN THE RACE'S
POTENTIAL TO SHAKE UP THE
SENATE.
THEN CAME THIS.
IF IT IS A LEGITIMATE
RAPE, THE FEMALE BODY HAS
WAYS TO SHUT THAT WHOLE
THING DOWN.
Reporter: THAT SIX
SECONDS UP-ENDED AKIN'S
LEAD.
IT ALSO TOSSED CLAIRE
MCCASKILL A LIFE-LINE SHE
DESPERATELY NEEDED.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL WAS ONE
OF THE MOST VULNERABLE
CANDIDATES, BUT SHE HAS BEEN
ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON A
MISSTEP FROM HER OPPONENT,
TODD AKIN.
Reporter: BUT THE
SIX-TERM ST. LOUIS
CONGRESSMAN ISN'T GIVING
UP.
HE MADE IN LOST GROUND AND
TURNED THE CONTEST AROUND.
THIS IS A VERY CLOSE
RACE.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE A GOOD
CHANCE OF MAKING THE
DIFFERENCE OF THE CONTROL OF
THE SENATE.
Reporter: IN AN
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, AKIN
TELLS CBN NEWS HE HAS HAD
PEACE ABOUT HIS CAMPAIGN ALL
ALONE.
EVEN WHEN PARTY BOSSES
PRESSURED HIM TO BOW OUT.
THEY TRIED TO PUSH HIM
OUT.
HE HAS HUNG IN.
HE STILL HAS A CHANCE TO
WIN, BUT HE HAS HAD TO DO
THAT WITHOUT ANY NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN REPORT.
Reporter: HE IS NOT THE
ONLY CANDIDATE DRAWING
CRITICISM ABOUT RAPE.
RICHARD MOURDOCK EXPECTED
PREGNANCIES TO GOD'S WILL.
AKIN BELIEVES LEADERS
ABANDONED HIM BECAUSE HE IS
A CONSERVATIVE WILLING TO
BUCK HIS OWN PARTY.
IT MAY BE THAT SOME OF
THE LEADERSHIP IN THE
SENATE, IN THE REPUBLICAN
SIDE, WOULD BE COMFORTABLE
WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE
MODERATE.
AND BECAUSE I'M NOT,
APPARENTLY IT'S MORE
IMPORTANT TO THEM TO GET
MODERATE THAN MAYBE EVEN
TAKING OVER CONTROL OF THE
SENATE.
Reporter: AKIN STILL
STRUGGLES WITH FINANCES.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL RAISED
NEARLY $6 MILLION IN A FINAL
FUNDRAISING PUSH, WHILE AKIN
TOOK IN LESS THAN
2 MILLION.
MOST OF THAT CAME IN FROM
SMALL ON-LINE DONATIONS.
THE PARTY HAS BEEN VERY
SUCCESSFUL IN TURNING OFF
OUR FUNDING, WHICH IS OUR
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
IN A SENSE, THEY'RE TRYING
TO MAYBE STARVE US OF
OXYGEN.
BUT THEY HAVEN'T STARVED ME
OF GASOLINE.
Reporter: AKINS FUELING
HIS MOMENTUM BY ATTENDING
EVENTS LIKE THIS FRIDAY FISH
FRY.
HIS TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN
VALUES APPEAL TO CHRISTIAN
VOTERS.
HE IS A STRONG CHRISTIAN,
HE IS A CONSERVATIVE, AND
THAT'S THE KIND OF PEOPLE I
WANT IN WASHINGTON.
I KNOW, IN SPITE OF WHAT HE
SAID, HE IS ROC-SOLID ON THE
ISSUES.
Reporter: CLAIRE
MCCASKILL PORTRAYS AKIN AS
TOO EXTREME ON ISSUES
RANGING FROM MEDICARE TO
SOCIAL SECURITY TO HIS VIEWS
ON WOMEN.
SHE SLAMMED HIS LEGITIMATE
RAPE COMMENT, WHILE TOUTING
HER RECORD.
ALL SENATORS ARE RANKS,
ONE TO 100.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT NUMBER
50.
HOW DID I GET THERE?
MISSOURI-STYLE
INDEPENDENCE.
I'M CLAIRE MCCASKILL AND I
APPROVE THIS MESSAGE BECAUSE
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE IS RIGHT
FOR MISSOURI.
Reporter: THE CAMPAIGN
DID NOT RESPOND DESPITE
MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR A
STATEMENT.
HER BACKERS, WHICH INCLUDE
SEVERAL LEADING MISSOURI
NEWSPAPERS, SAY CLAIRE
MCCASKILL'S BIPARTISAN
APPROACH SHOULD BE REWARDED
WITH A SECOND TERM.
SHE HAS REALLY CREATED A
NATIONAL NICHE IN TERMS OF
KEEPING AN EYE ON DEFENSE
SPENDING, AND TAKING HER
FORMER ROLE AS A STATE
AUDITOR AND APPLYING IT TO
HER ROLE IN THE SENATE, AND
SAVING TAXPAYERS MILLIONS,
IF NOT BILLIONS, IN
SAVINGS.
Reporter: AKIN
DISAGREES.
HE CALLS CLAIR CLAIRE
MCCASKILL OUT OF STEP FOR
BACKING THE OBAMA CARE LAW.
HE BELIEVES THAT IS THE
IMAGE VOTERS WILL TAKE WITH
THEM TO THE POLLS.
I'M VERY MAINSTREAM FOR
THE STATE OF MISSOURI.
I'M GOING FORWARD WITH THE
MISSION, AND I PLAN, BY THE
GRACE OF GOD, TO REPLACE
GLARCLAIRE MCCASKILL.
Reporter: JOHN JESSOP,
CBN NEWS, ST. LOUIS COUNTY,
MISSOURI.