Akin is still in, now what?

[Joe Biden 2020]

The deadline has come and gone and Todd Akin remains defiant, and remains in the race.  Is he a lonely duck on a sinking ship or does he still have a shot to beat McCaskill without any funding from the NRSC?  If he does win, will that drag down the entire party in 2014 or 2016?

It seems like the Republicans are now rooting for Sen. McCaskill.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

It complicates the Republican path to 51, that's for sure. The far-right has been pretty adamant about letting Democrats keep control of the Senate (Colorado, Delaware, Nevada, and now Missouri and potentially Indiana).

[Ogre Mage]

Akin could still win but I think it is unlikely, in spite of what the PPP poll shows.  This was a huge, politically life-threatening mistake and the attack ads for this fall will make themselves.  I think McCaskill went from being a clear underdog to the modest favorite.  But if Akin eventually drops out all bets are off.

[RogueBeaver]

Depends if he drops in the next month. McCaskill is @ 50/40 disapproval and been stalled in the low 40s for a year. As Sabato joked on Twitter earlier today, neither of them should win.

[Talleyrand]

If he does win, will that drag down the entire party in 2014 or 2016?

One poorly spoken candidate in a statewide race will not have implications that large.

I still think Akin has an even or higher chance of winning. Many Republican voters in his state will not abandon him just because of one comment. And don't forget he's up with independents. Does anyone actually think the NRSC or outside groups will actually abandon him unless he's down by more than five points? I don't think so. McCaskill is still very beatable, but this has not made her a lock, shoo-in, or even favorite, as some seem to think.

No predicting what happens if he leaves the race though. A lot will depend on the rollout, candidate quality, McCaskill's response, and media coverage.