Rep. Todd Akin said again Friday he won't bow out of the Missouri Senate race against incumbent Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill.

In a hastily called news conference near St. Louis, the embattled congressman repeated his decision to remain a candidate despite repeated calls to withdraw.

"Apparently there are some people having trouble understanding our message," he said. "We're going to be here through the November elections."

Akin has raised an estimated $200,000 over the last three days as a result of appeals to supporters, but the latest poll shows Akin trailing McCaskill by 10 points in the race.

Akin may have called the news conference to address local reporters. He hasn't spoken with them since Sunday's comments about rape and abortion, comments that landed him the middle of a national firestorm.

McCaskill --- who has generally avoided commenting on the Akin controversy -- was in Parkville, Mo. Friday afternoon for a campaign appearance.

"Todd Akin's views on many subjects are outside the mainstream, and we want to focus on all of those because many of them are important to Missouri families," she said. "I want to make sure that while he is a pleasant and sincere man, his views are not pleasant for most Missouri families."

Calls for Akin to leave the race have subsided over the last 48 hours. Gov. Mike Huckabee, a prominent supporter, has criticized the effort to remove Akin from the Missouri ballot.

But other Republicans continue to believe Akin's candidacy was critically damaged by the controversy, jeopardizing an important state in the fall election.