Pressure mounting for Akin to drop out of Senate race – Paul Steinhauser explains

Washington (CNN) - The fallout over U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin's controversial comments on rape jolted Republicans nationally on Monday and threatened longer-term consequences for them, potentially reviving the "war on women" debate and possibly hurting their campaign to win control of the Senate.

Republican leaders let out a collective groan when Akin claimed in a television interview on Sunday that "legitimate rape" rarely resulted in pregnancy, saying that "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."

The nation's largest tea party political action committee, the Tea Party Express, is calling on Rep. Todd Akin to step down as Missouri's Republican nominee for a Senate seat on Monday following controversial comments.

A social conservative congressman, Akin apologized repeatedly as the political uproar intensified and sought to clarify his remarks, saying he misspoke.

This morning on "Early Start," Paul Steinhauser looks at the calls for Rep. Akin to pull out of the Senate race.

READ MORE: Akin's 'legitimate rape' comments trouble for GOP