The initial deadline for Todd Akin came and went Tuesday evening, and Akin stuck to his guns and stayed in the race. But Akin can still go to court and get out of the race before September 25, and now we know how far in the polls Akin has to fall before he'll pull the plug. 

A source close to Akin told The Daily that Akin only stayed in the race because of how the rest of the Republican party treated him. The calls from notables names like Mitt Romney, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus, Scott Brown, Mitch McConnell, among others, for Akin to drop out ended up backfiring. According to the source, they "ultimately fed into Akin's stubbornness," and made him stick to his guns.

This is what Akin meant when he told Today and Good Morning America that he was here to stand for "principles over politics," and that he was elected by the people, and not his "party bosses," on Wednesday morning. 

But, should those people who elected him turn on him, Akin will drop out by the new deadline. The Daily's source wagers Akin will stay in the race if he can keep himself within five polling points of Senator Claire McCaskill, but if he falls into a seven or right point deficit then he'll call it quits. "That gets difficult," their source says. 

The latest poll numbers released on Monday by Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling show a virtual tie between Akin and McCaskill, but there's some dispute over the legitimacy of the polling numbers. Akin came in at 44 percent while McCaskill came in at 43 percent. Public Policy Polling insist the numbers are fine, though. 

Meanwhile, Akin's raised $83,000 in small donations and he's pushing for $100,000 before the night ends. 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at connorbsimpson at gmail dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.