"Akin's return to campaign trail has excluded St. Louis area, candidate expected here this week"

[pstokely]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/nick-pistor/akin-s-return-to-campaign-trail-has-excluded-st-louis/article_a9316b4c-0070-11e2-9857-001a4bcf6878.html

"Akin hasn’t had a public event in St. Louis since his controversial comments. He appeared Aug. 24 at a brief press conference in Chesterfield addressing the rape comments and saying he would stay in the race.

“It's just a big state and we've been visiting region by region,” said Ryan Hite, the campaign spokesman.

St. Louis makes up a significant portion of the state’s electorate. But Akin’s campaign strategy has so far focused on the more conservative rural and southern parts of Missouri. Voters there, who are often driven by religious issues, are an important part of Akin's base. Their support is key for Akin to quiet the storm after his controversial comments, which spurred members of his own party to ask him to quit the race. "