But the chorus of GOP members calling on him to step aside, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is growing louder.
Missouri Senate nominee Todd Akin appeared on Mike Huckabee's radio show Monday for his first interview since the eruption over his controversial comments on rape Sunday. Akin apologized for his comments and said he'd "spoken in error" -- and maintained that he would not drop out of the race.
Huckabee's show was a friendly choice for the congressman: The former Arkansas governor supported and cut ads for him during his contentious three-way primary contest.
Akin opened the appearance by saying he made "a couple of serious mistakes that were just wrong" and needed to apologize.
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"Rape is never legitimate," said the congressman. "I used the wrong words in the wrong way."
He emphasized that he is pro-life but cares equally for rape victims. Noting that he has two daughters, he said he wants "tough justice for sexual predators."
He also said he knows "that people do become pregnant from rape," and that he didn't mean to imply that it didn't happen -- but didn't specifically address whether pregnancy was less frequent in cases of rape.