The Akin issue could get tricky - since he is not the official GOP nominee yet because ...

[Tx4obama]

the primary election results have not yet been certified.

See all the details here: http://www.demconwatchblog.com/diary/5463/akin-to-get-rid-of-him

[MrSlayer]

1. Right, which is why someone on the GOP inside dropped this bomb early.

They knew this was coming so they spilled it early. It really sucks.

[Tx4obama]

2. BUT it is unclear if he can legally drop out until he is the nominee.

Excerpt:

One caveat, the section requires that the withdrawing candidate have been nominated. However, a candidate is not nominated until the election results have been certified. Certification takes place within two weeks of the Secretary of State receiving the abstracts of returns for all of the counties and the counties can only submit the results after the county verification board meets, and the counties have two weeks to complete the verification process. In other words, Tuesday is the deadline for the counties to finish the verification process, and the Secretary of State does not need to certify the results until next Tuesday. So it is unclear that Representative Akin can officially withdraw at this point.

Assuming that he does, the State Republican Committee would then have two weeks to meet (after official notice is given by the Secretary of State which must be given within twenty-four hours of the Secretary learning of the vacancy). State law requires that a majority of the committee be present at the meeting, that the meeting take place in the area to be represented, and that a majority vote of those present is required to nominate a candidate. No proxies are allowed. That means notice would go out on Wednesday, and the nomination meeting would have to take place by the Wednesday after Labor Day. How many of the 68 members of the Republican state committee are going to be out of state through Labor Day in Tampa? It would be rather embarrassing to fail to get a quorum together and be unable to nominate a replacement candidate.

[LiberalFighter]

4. I just love the pickle they got themselves into.

[Firebrand Gary]

3. Fortunately Robin Carnahan is the Secretary of State.

At least we know the certification will be honest. If the GOP replaces Akin before the 25th, it will have national, long lasting implications. That's precedent that the GOP should be very careful with.