Complex sentence: Akin apologized after making the comment, saying he "misspoke", and he stated he planned to remain in the Senate race-the response was itself attacked by many commentators as an attempt to re-cast his long-held views as an accidental gaff.
Split into simpler sentences: Akin apologized after making the comment, saying he "misspoke", and he stated he planned to remain in the Senate race. This response was itself attacked by many commentators who saw the initial comments as representative of his long-held views, rather than an accidental gaff.