Todd Akin says opponent Sen. Claire McCaskill was "very aggressive" at their debate last week, a change from 2006, when she was more "ladylike." Akin turned a likely Republican victory in the Senate race into a toss-up when he said women couldn't get pregnant from a "legitimate rape" in August. As National Journal's Julie Sobel points out, Akin has worked hard to repair his relationship with women, including launching a "Women for Akin" website. Since the hard deadline for Akin to quit the race passed this week, Akin's rehabilitation among Republicans has begun. It will perhaps need to intensify after his latest comments. Akin told the Kansas City Star:

"I think we have a very clear path to victory, and apparently Claire McCaskill thinks we do, too, because she was very aggressive at the debate, which was quite different than it was when she ran against Jim Talent... She had a confidence and was much more ladylike [in 2006], but in the debate on Friday she came out swinging, and I think that’s because she feels threatened."

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Elspeth Reeve