McCaskill Takes Senate Seat, Defeating Akin

The candidate from the 15th century is toast

Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill defeated Republican Representative Todd Akin to win a second U.S. Senate term.

The race was turned upside down Aug. 19 when Akin, 65, said in a television interview that "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy. The remark prompted party officials, including Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, to urge the six-term congressman to leave the race. It was a political gift to McCaskill, 59, who had been trailing Akin in polls.

The Senate contest in Missouri, a Republican-leaning state where President Barack Obama has low approval ratings, had been viewed as one of Republicans' best opportunities to capture one of four seats they need to win a Senate majority. McCaskill had been rated as one of the most vulnerable Democrats seeking re- election this year.