Missouri Republican Todd Akin released a new ad Tuesday where he asked voters to forgive him. "The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy ... I am asking for your forgiveness," Akin says in the ad, where he speaks directly to the camera. Akin insisted Monday night that he will stay in the Senate race despite being abandoned by much of his party after claiming that women can’t get pregnant from “legitimate rape.” “I am not a quitter,” Akin told Mike Huckabee. But Akin was a no-show on Piers Morgan Tonight, prompting Morgan to address an empty chair instead of Akin and call him a “gutless little twerp.”

“Rape is an evil act,” Akin says in the ad. “I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize. As the father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators. I have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault. I pray for them.”

There's no word yet on whether the apology was legitimate or forcible.