Missouri GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin may have won the party primary, but his idiotic and offensive comments about rape and pregnancy have caused party leaders to question his candidacy. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have both suggested that Akin step aside. But can he do that?
According to this Roll Call report, under Missouri law a party’s nominee may withdraw from the race before “5 p.m. on the 11th Tuesday before the election,” at which point the party would have 28 days to pick his replacement. The twist is that the 11th Tuesday before the election is tomorrow. Should Akin seek to withdraw at some point after tomorrow (but before September 25), however, he would need a court order and would have to pay for the cost of reprinting ballots.