DeMintConservative
11-01-2012, 06:29 PM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57533645/todd-akin-gets-some-help-from-rand-paul/
Rand Paul on Tuesday joined a small group of Republican politicians demonstrating a willingness to support Todd Akin's embattled bid for the Senate, unveiling a tacitly pro-Akin ad that his super PAC, RandPAC, says will run statewide in Missouri.
Akin, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskil for her Senate seat, has become the Republican black sheep of the campaign cycle after positing in an August interview that women are unlikely to become pregnant as a result of "legitimate rape." He faces a significant fundraising deficit compared with McCaskill.
The Republican establishment has essentially disavowed Akin's candidacy in light of his "rape" comments, and has refused to back him financially. Akin said recently he's collected more than $1 million for his campaign in online donations, and has earned the backing of some conservative groups - including one led by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum and one helmed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. By comparison, however, the McCaskill campaign raised $5.8 million during the 3rd quarter alone, and has, according to the New York Times, spent millions attacking Akin for his history of inflammatory statements. The McCaskill campaign's internal polling, meanwhile, shows her leading Akin 52 percent to 38 percent.
There was no mention of Akin in the minute-long ad, which instead attacked McCaskill for voting against a bill to provide continued support for U.S. aid to Egypt, but offered tacit support for the embattled state representative.
"Senator Paul believes this race can be won," said Doug Stafford, spokesman of RandPAC, in an email. "He also feels strongly on the issue of foreign aid, and wants to run these ads in places where the Senator up for reelection is on the wrong side of the issue, as Senator McCaskill is."
Stafford said that with regard to Akin's comments on rape, Paul "accepts that Congressman Akin apologized for what he said," according to Stafford. "One or two mistaken sentences or thoughts doesn't change the fact that there are dozens of issues on which Claire McCaskill is truly bad on and on which Todd Akin would be a significant improvement."
Stafford told CBSNews.com the ad will run statewide starting tomorrow in Missouri and that the buy was in the low six-figures. Similar ads, he says, are already running in support of Republican candidates in West Virginia, Florida and Ohio.
Rand Paul on Tuesday joined a small group of Republican politicians demonstrating a willingness to support Todd Akin's embattled bid for the Senate, unveiling a tacitly pro-Akin ad that his super PAC, RandPAC, says will run statewide in Missouri.
Akin, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskil for her Senate seat, has become the Republican black sheep of the campaign cycle after positing in an August interview that women are unlikely to become pregnant as a result of "legitimate rape." He faces a significant fundraising deficit compared with McCaskill.
The Republican establishment has essentially disavowed Akin's candidacy in light of his "rape" comments, and has refused to back him financially. Akin said recently he's collected more than $1 million for his campaign in online donations, and has earned the backing of some conservative groups - including one led by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum and one helmed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. By comparison, however, the McCaskill campaign raised $5.8 million during the 3rd quarter alone, and has, according to the New York Times, spent millions attacking Akin for his history of inflammatory statements. The McCaskill campaign's internal polling, meanwhile, shows her leading Akin 52 percent to 38 percent.
There was no mention of Akin in the minute-long ad, which instead attacked McCaskill for voting against a bill to provide continued support for U.S. aid to Egypt, but offered tacit support for the embattled state representative.
"Senator Paul believes this race can be won," said Doug Stafford, spokesman of RandPAC, in an email. "He also feels strongly on the issue of foreign aid, and wants to run these ads in places where the Senator up for reelection is on the wrong side of the issue, as Senator McCaskill is."
Stafford said that with regard to Akin's comments on rape, Paul "accepts that Congressman Akin apologized for what he said," according to Stafford. "One or two mistaken sentences or thoughts doesn't change the fact that there are dozens of issues on which Claire McCaskill is truly bad on and on which Todd Akin would be a significant improvement."
Stafford told CBSNews.com the ad will run statewide starting tomorrow in Missouri and that the buy was in the low six-figures. Similar ads, he says, are already running in support of Republican candidates in West Virginia, Florida and Ohio.