Todd Akin says he regrets his comments about "legitimate rape" six months after the political gaffe cost him a chance at the U.S. Senate.
In an interview with KSDK-TV the former congressman was asked if he would take back the comments that lead to the downfall of his campaign.
"Oh, of course I would! I've relived them too many times. But that is not reality," Akin said.
The Republican from Missouri was in a close race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill when he made the controversial comments in a TV interview. Akin suggested that "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
The comments enraged many on both sides of the aisle and ultimately lead to the GOP establishment withdrawing their support of Akin and cutting off much of his funding.
After the comments, many thought Akin would drop out of the race under the pressure of his GOP peers, refusing to back down Akin stayed in the race and lost by more than 15 points. Akin credits the support of a grass roots campaign for his staying in the race.
"Republican leadership was strong that you have to step down," he said. "But there was a very strong grass roots element saying don't you give in to those party bosses. You stay in there and you keep fighting."
Republican strategist Karl Rove has been clear in his intention to keep Republicans like Akin out of office.
"Some people think the best we can do is Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock - they're wrong," Rove said. "We need to do better if we hope to take over the United States Senate. We need to get better conservative candidates and win."
When discussing the possibility of a return to politics Akin said, "It's one of those things that depends on the circumstances really. I don't rule anything out."
If Akin were to throw his hat back into the political ring many voters in Missouri will be wondering if he still believes the assertions he made six months ago.
"No. No and I apologized for that," he said. "All of us are fallible, we make mistakes and we say things the wrong way."
