TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mitt Romney says it is "sad" that President Barack Obama's campaign is trying to link him to Rep. Todd Akin's statements about abortion.
Akin is the Republican Senate candidate in Missouri who said women's bodies have ways of avoiding pregnancy after a "legitimate" rape. Romney and other GOP leaders have criticized those statements and urged Akin to drop out of the Senate race.
In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Romney said Akin controversy hurts the Republican party and "is damaging to women." But he also accused the Obama campaign of stooping "to a low level" by bringing it up when the country is facing so many other issues.
As top Republicans prepare for the party's nominating convention, they are urging the GOP presidential challenger to reach out to women and Hispanics. On NBC's "Meet the Press," former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush says Romney "can make inroads" with those two constituencies if he focuses on creating "a climate of job creation and economic growth."
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APPHOTO NHEV102: The Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and his wife Ann walk into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, in Wolfeboro, N.H. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (26 Aug 2012)
<<APPHOTO NHEV102 (08/26/12)>>
