Akin's New Battle: Fundraising

Shunned by his own party, Todd Akin has a month to decide if he is capable of going it alone and winning Missouri's Senate race, reports USA Today. Under Missouri law, a candidate has until Sept. 25 to withdraw from the ballot and allow state party committees to select a replacement. Few analysts believe he'll be able to raise the funds necessary to defeat Sen. Claire McCaskill. The grueling three-way race for the GOP nomination left Akin's campaign with just $500,000 in the bank, and a new "I stand with Todd Akin" web campaign had netted him just $30,000 as of last night.

He has also lost a combined $10 million in previously promised funding from the Republican National Senatorial Committee and Crossroads GPS, and other big donors, like Emerson Electric, are closing their wallets, too, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Sarah Palin, who supported Akin rival Sarah Steelman, has joined the long list of Republicans asking Akin to step aside, reports Politico. Palin said Steelman should run as a third-party candidate if Akin refuses to drop out by the end of September. Missouri, however, has a "sore loser" law that bars defeated primary candidates from running against the winner, notes the Washington Post. (More Todd Akin stories.)