Democrats successfully gamed the Missouri GOP Senate primary to convince Republicans to nominate Rep. Todd Akin in 2012. The rest is history. In August 2012, Republican primary voters threw endangered Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill a lifeline: Rep. Todd Akin. Even before Akin infamously referred to "legitimate rape" after the primary, McCaskill's team bet that Akin was the most flawed Republican candidate they could face.