What a year for Republicans saying awful things about rape, eh? From Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin’s confused ideas about “legitimate rape” to Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock’s claim that a pregnancy from rape is “something that God intended to happen,” GOP candidates have said some pretty outrageous stuff. And now both Akin and Mourdock are getting plenty of cash from within and outside their party to fund their races, because the Republican Party really wants to take back the Senate.
Akin, who refused to drop out of his race despite pleas from his party to do so, just debuted a new ad featuring a woman who says she’s a rape victim who had an abortion, and supports Akin “because he defends the unborn, he’s a kind man.” It’s part of a $1.75 million spending push this week, close to the $2 million his opponent, Sen. Claire McCaskill, is spending. The Washington Post breaks down where that money is coming from:
Akin’s official campaign is contributing $600,000. The Now or Never SuperPAC, which supports GOP candidates in a number of states, will spend $800,000, and the Missouri Republican party has kicked in $387,000. A SuperPAC associated with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has made a “six-figure ad buy,” the second Akin ad funded by Paul’s backers.
Notice that $387,000 from the Missouri Republican Party? CNN points out that the party’s being mighty tight-lipped about where that came from, but suggests that it “may have originated from National Republicans, who had vowed not to put a dime into the race when they were trying to force Akin to step aside.” McCaskill is still beating Akin in the polls, but he’s gaining. “A new Mason Dixon poll of likely Missouri voters had McCaskill at 45%, Akin at 43%, and 8% unsure,” CNN reports. As long as there’s a chance he can pick up a Senate seat, it seems the money will somehow find its way to him.
The support for Richard Mourdock has been a lot more forthcoming, with his comments coming so much closer to the election. Politico points out that “Republican groups like American Crossroads, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Club for Growth” have spent $4 million in ad buys supporting the candidate. Mourdock is also the only Senate candidate with a TV ad featuring Mitt Romney. The GOP needs to pick up four Senate seats to tip the balance in its favor, so while party bigwigs are happy to leave people like Wisconsin Rep. Roger “rape easy” Rivard unfunded, the money still flows to those on whose fates the national party hinges. Looks like Mourdock won’t need to entertain Hustler founder Larry Flint’s offer of $1 million if he can prove God’s intent about pregnancies from rape.
