Todd Akin

Todd Akin’s new book is entitled “Firing Back.’’ But based on the former St. Louis area congressman’s  interviews over the past week, an equally descriptive title could be “No Apology.”

Two years after losing a nationally watched contest for the U.S. Senate, Akin is arguably more passionate than ever as he defends the message that landed him in hot water in 2012.

The immortal phrase in question: “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

(Updated 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 15)

Former U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, is continuing this week to make the rounds of the national news outlets as he promotes his new book, “Firing Back.”

But most Republicans, nationally and in Missouri, are continuing to ignore his book – and him.

In the book, Akin generally defends his controversial 2012 contention that in cases of “legitimate rape,’’ women rarely get pregnant because “their bodies have ways of shutting the whole thing down.”

Former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin roughly doubled his office payroll after losing a campaign for U.S. Senate.

Salary figures available through the online tracking site Legistorm.com show Akin paid his 14-person staff nearly $400,000 in the final quarter of 2012. That's twice as much as the $200,000 quarterly payroll that Akin averaged through the rest of the year.

Republican Missouri congressman Todd Akin owes almost $270,000 after his unsuccessful challenge of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

A federal finance report available online Thursday shows Akin's committee spent about $6 million on his Senate campaign - less than a third of the $19.3 million spent by McCaskill.

Akin reported $268,830 of debt as of Nov. 26. McCaskill previously reported that she had $238,010 of debt as of that date. But it's often easer for winners than losers to raise money to pay off their campaign debts.

There will be no repeat of the big-dollar, negative primary that plagued Missouri's Republican Senate contest when GOP leaders meet next year to select a replacement candidate for retiring Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson.

That's because there will be no primary election at all - no chance for rank-and-file Republicans or Democrats to cast their votes.

Nominees will be selected by committees of party officials from southeast Missouri. Only then will one Republican and one Democratic candidate be submitted to voters in a special election.

Updated at 2:02 with McCaskill's finances.

In spite of repeated assurances that they wouldn't support Congressman Todd Akin's senate bid after his damning comments regarding "legitimate rape," the National Republican Senatorial Committee funneled $756,000 into Akin's campaign during the days before the election.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill defeated GOP challenger Todd Akin Tuesday to hold on to a Missouri Senate seat that Republicans once considered vulnerable.

McCaskill won with about 54-percent of the vote in the election. She told supporters in St. Louis' Central West End Tuesday night that the victory means more to her because many pundits had predicted she would lose her seat.

"They all said 'it's over, it's done, it's too red, it's just too red, there is no way that Claire McCaskill can survive.' Well, you know what happened? You proved 'em wrong," McCaskill said.

Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin believes surging support will pull him through.

The Republican spent his final full day of campaigning on Monday by thanking supporters at several stops in the St. Louis area. In St. Peters, he told a couple of dozen volunteers that he sees what he called a "fire and enthusiasm" for his campaign to unseat Democrat Claire McCaskill.

McCaskill was making several stops around the state on Monday.

McCaskill says voters will have a choice between a moderate and an extremist when they cast ballots Tuesday in the U.S. Senate race. 

Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill is back on the campaign trail, attacking her opponent, Republican Congressman  Todd Akin for his stance on the school lunch program. It was McCaskill’s first public appearance since the passing of her mother, Betty Anne.

In previous campaigns, the Senator would often bring her mother up on the stump.

McCaskill said her passing has been “tumultuous."

At a small gathering at a coffeehouse on Sunday, Women for Claire convened to unveil a new ad in support of Democratic incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill. McCaskill was not in attendance, instead spending time with her ill mother.

A few women spoke in her stead, criticizing Republican Congressman Todd Akin.

"What is he (Akin) going to do for a woman like you?" Darlene Green, St. Louis Comptroller asked the crowd. "What is he going to say about a woman like me? We already know what he said about a woman like Claire."