Todd Akin staying in Senate race on last day to drop out

On the final day he could drop out, Missouri Rep. Todd Akin reaffirmed Tuesday that he's staying in the Senate race against Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill.

Akin had until the end of the day to withdraw his name from the November ballot.  

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But he made it clear in yet another press conference that he’s going to keep on keeping on, the Washington Post reported. 

"The decision was made by the voters of the state of Missouri and I have one purpose going into November, and that's replacing Claire McCaskill," Yahoo! News quoted Akin as saying.

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Akin held a double-digit lead in the race before coming under fire in August for saying that women have natural defenses against pregnancy from "legitimate rape."

After the remarks, Akin's support sank and politicians from both parties — including President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney — urged him to drop out of the race.

The latest polls now show McCaskill with a lead of about five points, Reuters reported.