- NEW: Rep. Todd Akin "lives in a parallel universe," a senior Republican source says
- Akin said VP hopeful Paul Ryan called him and asked him not to run
- On Twitter, Akin blames "the liberal elite" for his troubles
- Akin said he'll honor his party's wishes not to attend the GOP convention
(CNN) -- Republican Rep. Todd Akin isn't budging. Despite calls from his party establishment to drop out -- including a personal phone call from vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan -- Akin said Wednesday he is staying in the Senate race.
"The people of Missouri chose me to be their candidate. And I don't believe it's right for party bosses to decide to override those voters," Akin said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Ryan "did give me a call, and he felt that I had to make a decision, but he advised me that it would be good for me to step down," Akin said on NBC's "Today Show."
Akin said he told Ryan "that I was going to be looking at this very seriously, trying to weigh all the different points on this," adding, "it's not about me -- it's about standing on principle."
Akin 'legitimate rape' reaction, from the Congo to black crickets
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has also called for Akin to step aside.
Akin operates in "an insular environment," with his wife and son serving as his top advisers, a senior Republican source told CNN. Republican leaders have concluded that Akin "lives in a parallel universe," the source added.
Akin is facing Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Republican leadership had hoped to pick up the seat in November. The fury over his remarks on rape and pregnancy, which came during an interview Sunday, has thrown that effort in jeopardy.
The GOP was counting on winning Missouri in hopes of gaining the majority in the Senate, Republican officials say.
Now, Republican leadership has vowed not to spend money on his candidacy, as have outside groups supporting Republicans.
Opinion: Raped, pregnant and ordeal not over
"We saw this as an eminently winnable Senate race," said Steve Law, head of American Crossroads, the super PAC backed by Republican operative Karl Rove. "There were great issues to talk about. We were talking about Obamacare, and taxes, and debt and the economy. But this firestorm that Todd Akin has created for himself has engulfed not only him but we think any chance whatsoever of being able to salvage this race as long as he's in this race."
McCaskill has rejected Akin's controversial comments and highlighted them on her campaign website. "Her worst nightmare is him dropping out," Law said, because with Akin as her opponent "she can win."
Although Akin is blaming "the liberal elite" and "the liberal media" for his troubles in a slew of tweets, he acknowledged in the pair of Wednesday morning network TV interviews that it's his own party -- including prominent conservative media figures such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh -- calling for him to drop out.
Opinion: Wake up, it's not just Akin
His insistence on keeping his candidacy comes on the third day of a national -- and even international -- uproar, which shows no sign of dying down. While he has apologized for his incendiary and inaccurate comments, many question how a major party Senate candidate, who currently serves on the House science committee, could say such things to begin with.
Speaking to Missouri television station KTVI on Sunday, Akin explained his opposition to abortion being legal in the case of rape. "From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," he said of rape-induced pregnancy. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
He has since repeatedly said there is no such thing as "legitimate rape" and that his medical information was wrong.
Asked Wednesday by NBC whether he is "almost alone" now, Akin said, "I don't believe that's true."
"Anybody who's doing a lot of public speaking can make a mistake," he added. "You say you're sorry. You put the politics aside and you do what's the right thing."
Akin's remarks deemed 'harmful' to rape survivors
"At the same time, I don't apologize for the fact that I'm consistently pro-life," he said on ABC. "I believe in defending the unborn. And I believe based on those kinds of principles, we can win this race."
But Akin said he will honor his party's wishes in one key way.
Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, does not want him to attend the upcoming Republican convention. Akin said he won't attend. "I honor their particular wishes," he told ABC.
Akin is a devout evangelical Christian who believes God has called on him to run, Republican sources say.
Throughout his career he has lacked the support of the party establishment and succeeded without it, so the lack of support now doesn't faze him as it would many others, a senior Republican source said.
GOP officials will keep a close eye on the race in Missouri to see if he is able to raise money. The question will be whether the congressman finds enough grassroots support to sustain his campaign, the source said.
Opinion: GOP policy is the scandal, not just Akin's comments
The controversy surrounding him also distracts from the issues the GOP would rather focus on, specifically the economy. Instead it draws attention to the issue of abortion, and the official Republican Party platform -- ratified this week -- which mirrors Akin's posiiton that abortion should be illegal even in the case of rape. That focus also highlights a schism within the party. Romney, among many other Republicans, supports exceptions for rape and incest.
iReport: 'Rape is rape': Akin should step down
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