Congressman Todd Akin says he’s not concerned by polls early this week that showed him trailing Sarah Steelman and John Brunner in the GOP Senate race.

Congressman and U.S. Senate hopeful Todd Akin contines a tour of the state today in St. Louis.

Akin says he’s been through campaigns before, and he doesn’t trust the results of polls that come out this close to an election.

“Part of it’s because, who can predict the people that are going to be … whatever, 100 degrees August 7? That are gonna be at the polls? I think it’s very hard to know. So the polling data is traditionally very tricky at this time, plus you’ve got people putting the last of their money into advertising and other kinds of campaign activities.”

Akin says he believes the race for the seat of Senator Claire McCaskill is still close between the three frontrunners.

“The fact that we’ve had Huckabee supporting us has been very strong for us … and I think the fact that I have a proven record and people know what they’re getting with me, and the fact that I was willing to vote against my own party in some very high-profile votes indicate that I’m trying to put principle first.”

Akin’s campaign has focused much of its attention on its message in recent weeks, and accuses his opponents of turning to negative attack ads. “We don’t really think that running other Republicans down to build yourself up is really a very honest or good way to do things, and so we’ve rejected that and decided that we’re going to talk just about what’s positive and where we need to be going as a nation.”

Akin says his campaign has surpassed those of his opponents in grassroots efforts and message, but financially it’s been more of a challenge.

“I’ve raised more money five quarters running than my two opponents, but both of them have received … one has written himself seven million dollars, so he’s trying to buy the race, and the other one has gotten some very big contributions in the super PACs, so it’s like one or two people giving big, big blocks of money.”

Of the endorsement of Steelman by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Akin says it could cost him votes. “Sarah Palin has tended to endorse women around the country and so it doesn’t surprise us that she might jump into this race … She’s not very predictable a lot of times where she jumps or who she jumps but it seems like there is a pattern that she’s very much more of the sort of the feminist side of jumping into … the women running in various races.”