Akin trails McCaskill 40 percent to 46 percent, according to one recent poll. Akin likens McCaskill to a dog

Rep. Todd Akin compared his female Senate opponent to a dog Saturday, arguing Sen. Claire McCaskill goes to Washington, D.C., to “fetch” higher taxes and regulations.

“She goes to Washington, D.C., it’s a little bit like one of those dogs, ‘fetch,’” Akin said at a Saturday fundraiser, according to audio posted by PoliticMO. “She goes to Washington, D.C., and get all of these taxes and red tape and bureaucracy and executive orders and agencies and brings all of this stuff and dumps it on us in Missouri.”


Earlier in the campaign, the Republican came under fire for saying McCaskill’s behavior during debate was more “ladylike” in 2006.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has become one of Akin’s staunchest supporters, was in attendance at the fundraiser in Springfield, Mo.

Responding to Akin’s put-down, McCaskill’s campaign said the congressman “continues to offend women, [and] anyone else with a sense of decency.”

The Akin campaign isn’t backing away from the remark, with one of the candidate’s top strategists joking about it in a Monday tweet.

If Claire McCaskill were a dog, she’d be a “Bullshitsu”,— Rick Tyler (@rickwtyler) October 22, 2012

McCaskill leads Akin 46 percent to 40 percent, according to a poll conducted over the weekend by Public Policy Polling.