From Evan McMorris-Santoro - TPM
republished by Paddy Ryan
Democrats
say Mitt Romney has a Todd Akin problem and, by extension, a Mike
Huckabee problem. The conservative radio host has reaffirmed his
support for the embattled Senate nominee, just before he’s set to
speak in a primetime slot in Tampa Monday night. Democrats are urging
the GOP to boot Huckabee, one of its biggest social conservative
stars, from the lineup.
American
Bridge, the Democratic tracking firm, is launching an online drive to
push Huckabee from the Tampa podium next week. The group says that
keeping Huckabee on the schedule suggests the GOP isn’t serious
about distancing itself from Akin and his stated views on female
biology.
On
Thursday, Huckabee took
his party to task
for calling on Akin to quit the Senate race in Missouri following
Akin’s “legitimate
lape”
implosion, making the former Arkansas governor the most prominent of
Akin’s remaining conservative defenders.
Huckabee
backed Akin in the three-way GOP primary, along with other
social conservatives
like Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and Steve King. Huckabee
hosted Akin on his radio show for the first interview after the
“legitimate rape” comment blew up, and again after Republicans
including Mitt Romney shunned
Akin and called on him to quit. Huckabee apparently had had enough.
“Who
ordered this ‘Code Red’ on Akin?” Huckabee wrote in an email
to supporters Thursday. “I will join Todd as often as I can, in his
fight for our Party’s pro-life policies, traditional marriage and
our efforts to rein in the massive expansion of government under
President Obama.”
That
set up a potentially awkward situation for Republicans, who scheduled
Huckabee to speak in the same
primetime block
Monday night as Ann Romney.
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