By Leisa Zigman I-Team Reporter

St. Louis (KSDK) - Elections almost always comes down to donations.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce started running millions of dollars in attack ads against Senator Claire McCaskill back in February, and the organization's ad blitz forced McCaskill to start spending money long before she planned.

Still, she has a lot more cash than Rep. Todd Akin.

According to OpenSecrets.org, Sen. McCaskill has raised about $12 million, while Rep. Akin has raised about $2 million.

Akin's apology ad hit airwaves Wednesday. NewsChannel 5's Leisa Zigman reached out to the Chamber to see if it will support Akin, but she did not hear back.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee and Karl Rove's group, Crossroads GPS said if Akin stays in, they will pull their money out of the race.

But actions don't seem to match words. The NRSC has a $4.4 million ad buy in Missouri that is scheduled to start running in October.

NewsChannel 5 spoke with a senior official with the NRSC and asked why they hadn't pulled the ad buy and if they were just bluffing in hopes Akin would blink. The official said they still hope Akin will get out of the race and the money will be used for another candidate.

 

KSDK