Todd Akin Releases New 'Apology' Ad for Rape Comments

ST. LOUIS (AP/TheBlaze) — On a day when his political future might be decided, Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri is airing a new television advertisement apologizing again for his comments that women can somehow prevent pregnancy after "legitimate rapes."

"The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold," Akin says in the ad.

Akin faces a 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday to decide whether he will withdraw from his Senate race against Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill. He has been pressured by some Republican leaders to leave the race since making his comments during a TV interview Sunday.

In an advertisement airing Tuesday, Akin says he used the "wrong words in the wrong way" and asked for voters' forgiveness. He calls rape an evil act and acknowledges it can lead to pregnancy.

Akin does not comment in the ad on whether he plans to stay in the race. However, Dashiell Bennett at the Atlantic argues that this ad is evidence that Akin plans to stay in the race.

How Akin plans to defeat Claire McCaskill without support from most major conservative organizations, or the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is an open question, but he may not have as hard a time of it as some think. A poll taken by Public Policy Polling following Akin's remarks shows that he still leads McCaskill by 1 point.