Top Pollster: ‘McCaskill A 2:1 Favorite’ Now After Akin Rape Comment
The top pollster for the New York Times, FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver, just said that “on instinct” he now puts Senator Claire McCaskill as the two-to-one favorite in the race for her U.S. Senate seat after Congressman Todd Akin‘s rape comments today. McCaskill in most polls was down by more than eight percentage points on average, although Silver had put the race at a “toss up” in Akin’s favor until today’s rape comment by Akin.
Calling McCaskill a 2:1 favorite prices in some chance that Akin will drop out. I’d take her side of those odds if he stays in.
— Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight) August 19, 2012
As The New Civil Rights Movement has been reporting, U.S. Congressman Todd Akin, now running for McCaskill’s Senate seat out of Missouri, told a Fox reporter women rarely get pregnant from being raped because their bodies know if they are “legitimate rape†victims and just “shut down†unwanted pregnancies, clearly a false statement. Akin claimed “doctors” had told him this. After waiting an excruciatingly long half-day, Akin released a statement in which he refused to apologize, rather, merely claimed he “misspoke,” said he was a defender of all victims — including the fetuses created by rapists — and then finished with 101 words about unemployment, attacking Democrats. Already, several Republicans have suggested Akin should resign, or mused he might. Earlier in the day, Silver mused upon Akin’s future, via Twitter:
Is it possible to win a Senate race with 0% of the women’s vote? Asking for a friend.
— Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight) August 19, 2012
Related:
Breitbart Editor Dana Loesch Is (Of Course) Defending Akin On Rape Comment
Akin: I Won’t Apologize For Rape Comment. Now Let’s Talk About Unemployment.

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