(CNN) – Sen. Scott Brown, the Massachusetts Republican in a tight battle for re-election, said Monday that Rep. Todd Akin ought to step aside in his bid for U.S. Senate in Missouri after Akin claimed "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy. Sen. Ron Johnson also called on Akin to resign from the GOP nomination.
"As a husband and father of two young women, I found Todd Akin's comments about women and rape outrageous, inappropriate and wrong," Brown wrote in a statement released by his campaign. "There is no place in our public discourse for this type of offensive thinking. Not only should he apologize, but I believe Rep. Akin's statement was so far out of bounds that he should resign the nomination for US Senate in Missouri."
– Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who was elected in 2010, also called on Akin to step aside.
Todd Akin's statements are reprehensible and inexcusable. He should step aside today for the good of the nation.
—
Ron Johnson (@Ron4Senate) August 20, 2012Akin won his spot on November's ballot earlier this August, and is slated to face Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill in November.
Prior to this controversy, the top non-partisan political handicappers had rated the Missouri race a "toss up." Republicans consider McCaskill's seat a prime take-over target as they try to reclaim control of the Senate. Democrats currently have a 53 to 47 advantage in the chamber, but are defending 23 (21 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the party) of the 33 seats up for grabs in November.
Brown is facing Elizabeth Warren, a consumer advocate and former adviser to President Barack Obama, in a fierce battle for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Brown is a first-term Republican who won his seat in a January 2010 election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.
– Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Wow! Admirable Scottie. But we all know that you're pandering to the moderate Massachusetts electorate. A resignation request should come from the leaders of the Party(Boehner/McConnell).
Nice try, Scott, but where was your outrage when the abortion-obcessed House wasted their time and energy on abortion rather than trying to imporve the economy? Your ambulance-chasing mentality is showing.
No way!!! Keep Akin in!!! He's no doubt got so much more damaging extremist crap to vomit and we love it!!! Ask him what he thinks of Muslims!!!
No – don't let him resign – the Democrats need him, he is just the appetizer before the November meal.
...and yet Mr. Brown thinks that women do not have the right nor choice to make decisions about their bodies.
Hypocrite.
As Mr. Ryan's position is the same (and Mr. Romney on alternative Thursdays), will he ask him to step aside too? What about all those Republicans who signed on to the "Zygotes have rights" bills the GOP has pushed around the House- kick them out as well? I thought not....
No. let him stay in the race, because Akin will get hammered in the general.
Step aside? Why would this cretin need to be told/asked, to step aside? In a world where people agree of what civil discord consists of. why wouldn't this moron be swept aside, not asked to step aside? If the republican party, had any scruples at all he'd be licked to the curb. There'd be no asking, he'd just be history.
You know you went overboard when your fellow Republican wants to disown you.
The only possible positive for this scenario is the ability of the party to put in someone electable. Leave him there – make him the poster boy for the party. Print his picture on tea bags.
Senator Brown is trying to come across as a moderate. However, he seemed to support the right-wing agenda of the Republican Party time and time again.
I suspect the voters in Massachusetts will see through this obvious ploy
"As a husband and father of two young women, I found Todd Akin's comments about women and rape outrageous, inappropriate and wrong," Brown wrote in a statement released by his campaign.
The operative word here is "campaign". I don't think we would have heard a peep from Brown otherwise.
Look how fast this is getting out of hand! Akin said something pretty dumb. Well, most politicians do sometime in their careers I think. But this whole "knee-jerk, hyper-sensitivity" thing is pretty stupid too. Personally, I think the GOP has MUCH larger issues to resolve than to muddy up the waters further with this.
I guess it's just fortunate that Akin didn't use the word "vagina" too...
"WE THE PEOPLE" call on every one of you to pass campaign finance legislation, torte reform, serve the American people or all of you should resign
i don'n understand how the peoples of missouri can vote for this guy, he is unfit to serve in the senate and i pray the
peoples of that state will vote for someone else.
wow ... another panderer ... scooter, do we need to remind everyone about some of YOUR comments about women, abortion, religion and race ?? You and akin are in a race to the bottom ...
What business is it of a Mass senator to make a judgemennt call on a Missouri congressman's fitness for office?
Because Brown is in a tight race for a senate seat – running against a woman and he's hoping his "outrage" will help him with the Mass woman's vote.
Nice try Scottie – "But we gottcha!"
Seems like Brown really wants to be a Democrat since his party considers him a RINO
Hopefully, Akin will hang in there and defend himself against these ridiculous charges. He knows what he was saying. He just didn't say it right. Go Akin.
Sen. McCaskill should win re-election hands down. This is the ultimate display of shooting yourself in the foot.
Unfortunately, this little tift uncoveres what the House Republicans have been doing for the last two years instead of "jobs, jobs, jobs.
Republicans- they are wrong for America!
Stay Akin! Obama and his lamestream media needs you!!
Better yet, I thing it would serve America best if all teapublican members of congress were to step down or simply drink Kool-Aid.
We Dems want him to KEEP ON TALKING. We killed Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban with bullets. With VOTES we will eliminate the AMERICAN TALIBAN here in the USA, which is today's GOP. THE WAR ON WOMEN IS REAL. No real true patriotic american man, who loves his mother,sister,daughter, grandmother,wife, aunt can vote for the GOP. Voting FOR the GOP is like voting for the TALIBAN. If you hate Obama, just don't vote. If you're a woman abusing Taliban supporter, vote GOP.
Rep. Todd Akin is a true Tea Party Patriot!
Talk about "CHAINS'