New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Monday called Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) suggestion that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant "reprehensible."
The GOP governor, who will deliver the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention next week in Tampa, blasted the congressman's statement as "absolutely asinine" and "ridiculous," according to CBS New York.
"He should be ashamed of himself to be talking about it in that way," Christie said. "It’s stunning to me that somebody who’s offering themselves for high office like that would have those kind of thoughts and use that kind of language."
Akin made the comments in question during an interview on Sunday. The congressman has faced calls to end his Senate campaign against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) despite attempting to do damage control on the remarks.
HuffPost's Mark Blumenthal reported on Monday:
In Washington, the Republican establishment is sending Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) a unmistakable message: He needs to exit the Senate race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill. Now.
But in Missouri, a non-scientific Patch poll of influential local Republicans shows suburban activists and officeholders in or near Akin's district are divided about whether he should stay in the race, at least for the moment.
Below, a look at political reaction to Akin's comments.
