JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Todd Akin is relying on Christian evangelicals, anti-abortion activists and anti-establishment Republicans to keep his Senate campaign going.
   
The Missouri Republican congressman issued a new fundraising appeal today, asserting that "the liberal elite" are trying to keep what he calls a "strong, pro-life conservative" out of the Senate.
   
He's been abandoned by prominent Republicans, including Mitt Romney, who want him to leave the race in the aftermath of his claim that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies after "legitimate rape."
   
Akin is insisting he's in the U.S. Senate race to stay, saying "this is not about my ego" but about the voters of Missouri who chose him as their nominee.
   
Akin acknowledges it was a mistake for him to refer to "legitimate" rapes but says he's apologized for that and that the voters of Missouri knew they weren't getting a "perfect" candidate.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Earlier story:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Embattled Rep. Todd Akin is insisting he's in the U.S. Senate race to stay, saying "this is not about my ego" but about the voters of Missouri who chose him as their nominee.
   
Akin confirms in a nationally broadcast interview that Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan called him to personally plea that he step aside in the wake of the searing controversy surrounding his comments about abortion.
   
But Akin says, "It's not right for party bosses to override" the voters of Missouri. He says he told Ryan that he was thinking things over and wants to "do what's right." But he also says he's not abandoning his race, arguing that "I'm planning to win it."
   
Akin acknowledges it was a mistake for him to refer to "legitimate" rapes but says he's apologized for that and that the voters of Missouri knew they weren't getting a "perfect" candidate.
   
Akin says in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that "I'm not apologizing for the fact that I'm pro-life." He also appeared on NBC's "Today" show.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)