Republican Todd Akin compared his Democratic opponent in the Senate race, incumbent Claire McCaskill, to a dog at a Springfield fundraiser Saturday.
In audio leaked to PoliticMo, Akin is heard saying, “She goes to Washington, D.C., it’s a little bit like one of those dogs, you know, ‘fetch.’
“She goes to Washington, D.C., and gets all of these taxes and red tape and bureaucracy and executive orders and agencies, and she brings all of this stuff and dumps it on us in Missouri.”
In attendance at the event was Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who has been one of Akin’s biggest supporters.
Akin’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. McCaskill’s campaign declined to comment.
Akin’s campaign suffered a major blow in August when he told a St. Louis television interviewer that rape victims have a biological ability to avoid pregnancy. The comment led GOP leaders, including presidential nominee Mitt Romney, to urge Akin to drop out of the race. He didn’t.
In the meantime, a new poll out Sunday from Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling showed McCaskill, who campaigned in Kansas City on Sunday, leading Akin 46 percent to 40 percent. Libertarian Jonathan Dine had 6 percent.
