TODD AKIN

The Supreme Court’s decision to repeal a woman’s federal constitutional right to abortion has scrambled the political dynamics heading into the November elections, when control of Congress is at stake.

Thus far, it hasn't really backfired too spectacularly — and has actually paid dividends. That doesn't mean it will always be so.

Nathan Howard/GettyA female Republican congressional candidate claimed on the campaign trail in Virginia last month that rape victims are less likely to become pregnant because “it’s not something that’s happening organically.”Yesli Vega made the eyebrow-raising comments while being asked for her thoughts on what then promised to be a Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the federal right to abortion.An audio recording of the remarks, which took place at an event in Stafford Co

As the midterm primary season rolls along, voters may have noticed a strange phenomenon of political advertising: Democrats paying for ads supporting Republican candidates.

It might make electoral sense for Democrats to support fringe Republicans in primary contests. But they should be wary of the drawbacks.

For all their angst about the possibility of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the state, GOP leaders haven’t coalesced behind an alternative.

Garrett Soldano, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan, said he hoped to dissuade rape victims from getting abortions, adding: "God put them in this moment."

They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service.

The comment is widely blamed for the longtime Missouri congressman losing a U.S. Senate bid in 2012.

Former conservative Republican U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri has died.

Former U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, a conservative Missouri Republican whose comment that women's bodies have a way of avoiding pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape” sunk his bid for the U.S. Senate and became a cautionary tale for other GOP candidates, died late Sunday. “As my father’s death approached, we had people from all different walks of life share story after story of the personal impact he had on them,” Perry Akin said in a statement to The Associated Press. Akin represented a Republican-leaning eastern Missouri district that included St. Louis-area suburbs for 12 years, giving up a safe seat to run for the U.S. Senate in 2012.

But officials in both parties agree that the surge of GOP departures will make the Republicans' challenge more difficult in the Senate. Several Missouri Republicans are expected to seek the nomination to replace Blunt, but none will be more divisive than former Gov. Ahead of Greitens' announcement, some Republicans worried that he could jeopardize the Senate seat if he emerges as the party's nominee. The former president won by the same margin in Iowa, where 87-year-old Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is considering retirement. AdMeanwhile, Blunt predicted political success for Republicans in Missouri and beyond during a Monday news conference.

The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. Republicans are also competing in Nevada and New Hampshire, where Trump was defeated, and in North Carolina, where Trump barely won. The Senate Republican campaign arm, led by Florida Sen. Rick Scott, will not get involved in open primaries. “You can’t let insanity go unchecked, or it will eat you alive,” said Josh Holmes, a top McConnell political adviser.

The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. The Senate Republican campaign arm, led by Florida Sen. Rick Scott, will not get involved in open primaries. “You can’t let insanity go unchecked, or it will eat you alive,” said Josh Holmes, a top McConnell political adviser. Meanwhile, Law sought to downplay Trump's grip on the Republican Party.