Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Todd Akin.
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has announced his support for U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri, the embattled and defiant Republican who is looking to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in one of the most closely watched Senate races this year.
Akin is the anti-abortion lawmaker who has rejected calls from within his own party to drop out of the race after suggesting women’s bodies have a natural defense against pregnancy in cases of “legitimate rape.” He has apologized repeatedly for the remarks.
Santorum, who unsuccessfully sought his party’s presidential nomination this year, and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint issued a joint statement endorsing Akin this morning. It reads:
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum
“If Republicans are to win back the Senate and stop President Obama’s liberal agenda, we must defeat Senator Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Her support of President Obama’s job-killing, big-spending policies are sending our country into an economic abyss. And her passionate support of ObamaCare is ensuring healthcare costs go up while quality of care goes down. Simply put, we cannot afford six more years of Senator McCaskill.
“Todd Akin is a principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate. Todd will work to stop reckless spending, stop the out of control debt, repeal the government takeover of healthcare, support our military and defend life at every stage.
“We support Todd Akin and hope freedom-loving Americans in Missouri and around the country will join us so we can save our country from fiscal collapse.”
