Santorum and DeMint Endorse Akin

Deadline to withdraw from the race has passed

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin has won two high-profile Republican endorsements a day after guaranteeing his candidacy would continue.

On Wednesday, former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum and Sen. Jim DeMint, a tea party star, announced support for Akin. They called Akin a "principled conservative" who is committed to fighting for freedom. Santorum easily won Missouri's nonbinding Republican presidential primary in February.