Republican Missouri Congressman Todd Akin still has just over one week before the deadline after which he will be locked into the Republican Senate race. Still trailing his Democratic opponent, Senator Claire McCaskill, weeks after the infamous interview in which he explained his support for a total abortion ban by claiming victims of “legitimate” rape can’t get pregnant, Akin is ready to change the subject by airing his first television ad.

Via The Hill:

The new ad titled ‘Broken Trust,’ opens with a clip of McCaskill at a town hall meeting in 2009, as she seeks to defend President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

The video shows McCaskill asking voters if they trust her, only to be shouted down by many in the crowd.

“McCaskill broke our trust when she cast the deciding vote to pass ‘ObamaCare, cut Medicare by almost a trillion dollars, and kill jobs with higher taxes, spending, and debt,” says the ad’s narrator. “McCaskill voted with Obama 98 percent of the time.”

The video then airs an audio clip of Obama saying he is proud to have McCaskill as a supporter.  It concludes with a clip of McCaskill saying “You’ve got every right, if I decided to run again, to do everything in your power to fire me.”

Prior to the August media storm, the Missouri senate race was expected to be one of the most expensive races in the country, especially given funding from outsides groups.  Since Akin’s comments, however, many GOP groups publicly declared that they would not financially support Akin’s bid in an effort to force him to drop from the race.

Akin is still trailing McCaskill, with the latest polling from Rasmussen putting her at six  points ahead. However, that is three points less than the spread shortly after the comments, when a St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll had her 9 points up.

In Akin’s home state Republican party units are passing resolutions of support or endorsements. Members of the 8th congressional district did so prior to the Republican National Convention. More recently the Franklin County Republicans called on all of the other state GOP leaders to provide written endorsements for Akin and his bid, including numerous politicians who had suggested prior that Akin leave the race. According to Emissourian.com:

The local Republican committee “calls for the Missouri Republican State Committee to publicly endorse and be in agreement to financially support Todd Akin.”

The committee calls on state party leaders, 26th District senatorial committee persons and Republican office holders, including U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, state Sen. Brian Nieves and others, to all endorse Akin, repeatedly referring to the candidate as “the people’s choice.”

Bringing the GOP back on board could not only help Akin regain his momentum, but possibly return his lost fundraising, too, two things he desperately needs to regain front-runner status.