Republican Todd Akin said he won’t drop out of the Missouri Senate race even as he apologized to those who’d been “hurt” by his assertion yesterday that “legitimate rape” rarely leads to pregnancy.

“This was a very, very serious error,” Akin said today in an interview with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on the former Republican presidential candidate’s radio show. “I feel just as strongly as ever that my background and ability will be a big asset in replacing Claire McCaskill.”

Several Republican lawmakers have called for Akin, 65, to leave the Senate race.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kathleen Hunter in Washington at khunter9@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jodi Schneider at jschneider50@bloomberg.net