Indiana's Republican Senate candidate says his words were twisted, but could it cost him the race? Several local political science experts believe Richard Mourdock’s words at the end of Indiana’s U.S. Senate debate Tuesday night could be damaging in what has been a very close contest.
“What I’ve said here today is what I hoped to say last night and obviously didn’t say very well,” Richard Mourdock told reporters at a news conference Wednesday morning.
The night before, his words created a fire storm of controversy when he said, “ I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen.”
The political world is buzzing because of it.
“It’s late in the race so it may be hard for Mourdock to bounce back,” CBS political analyst John Dickerson said.
Just last month, a Howey Politics/DePauw poll showed Mourdock’s opponent Joe Donnelly with a two-point lead. Both are running as pro-life candidates. In fact, 2nd district Congressman Donnelly supported a bill that became law, banning the use of federal funds for abortions.
“I don’t think God wants rape,” Mourdock reiterated Wednesday. “For those who want to kind of twist the comments and use them for partisan political gain, I think that's what's wrong with Washington these days. I spoke from my heart. I spoke with my principle and I spoke with my faith.
But Donnelly refused to back down.
“I don’t think his words were twisted. He said what he said and he said them on live television,” Donnelly said.
Saint Mary’s College political science professor Sean Savage weighed in on what Donnelly should do next.
“I think it was Napoleon who used to have this saying that you never interfere with your opponent when he's in the process of destroying himself. Donnelly already made his comment about this. He already said it wasn't only untrue but also disrespectful,” Savage told WSBT.
Just this week, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney began airing a television ad in Indiana, supporting the Senate candidate. Gov. Romney’s camp said Wedensday it disagrees with Mourdock’s comments but still supports him and is not pulling the ad.
“I don’t think it will hurt him in Indiana, no,” said Savage. “I think Romney is so far ahead in the polls in Indiana, I think he'll still carry the Electoral College.”
The way people interpreted what Mourdock said Tuesday night could possibly shift just enough votes toward Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning or cause some voters not to vote in the Senate race at all, Savage said.
National news organizations took immediate interest to Mourdock’s statements after a similar incident happened in a U.S. Senate race in Missouri in August.
That’s when Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin told a Missouri TV station, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.” He went on to say if that didn’t work, there should be a punishment for the rapist rather than the child.
Since he said that, his Democratic opponent is leading in the polls.
