DNC ad in Tampa newspaper ties Akin to Romney-Ryan ticket

Embattled Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is not in Tampa, Fla., for the Republican National Convention this week, but the Democratic National Committee brought him to the host city in the form of a full-page ad in the Tampa Tribune on Tuesday.

The DNC ad adds the name Akin to the Republican presidential ticket logo so it reads Romney-Ryan-Akin, along with the tagline: "Taking away a woman’s decision — any way they 'kin." 

Akin has refused to drop out of the Missouri Senate race despite party-wide condemnation of his controversial comments about "legitimate rape" more than a week ago. Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) have both condemned Akin's remarks and called on him to withdraw from the race. GOP leaders fear Akin's candidacy would mean an easy victory for incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) and could damage the party's chances of capturing the Senate.

Now the DNC is bringing the controversy to Florida, where on Tuesday the roll call vote will be held officially making Romney the GOP's nominee for president. Democrats have used Akin to further fuel their attacks on Romney and Republicans on women's health issues and abortion.

The ad hits at the party's no-exceptions anti-abortion-rights platform, as well as Romney saying that as Massachusetts governor he would have supported a constitutional amendment defining life as starting at conception, and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) co-sponsorship, with Akin, of the Sanctity of Human Life Act.

“In the Obama economy, nearly 6 million women are unemployed and the poverty rate for women has reached a near-two-decade high," Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said in a statement responding to the DNC ad. "Women deserve better than four more years of President Obama’s failed policies. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a Plan for a Stronger Middle Class that will help women start businesses, receive more take-home pay, and ensure that their children have bright futures.” 

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