In or out? Cain to say whether he'll stay in race
ATLANTA (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is keeping supporters in suspense ahead of his expected announcement Saturday about whether he will quit the race...
ATLANTA (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is keeping supporters in suspense ahead of his expected announcement Saturday about whether he will quit the race after a string of sexual harassment allegations and a claim of an extramarital affair.
The Georgia businessman planned to announce his decision at what was supposed to be a festive opening of a new headquarters in Atlanta. The space was rented when Cain was surprisingly leading the Republican pack.
It is the latest — and perhaps final — twist in a saga that has taken the Georgia businessman from longshot to surprise front-runner to embattled tabloid subject.
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With the candidate’s poll numbers plummeting and fundraising stalled, some campaign aides said privately they expected him to drop out. But Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon said late Friday that no decision had been made.
A meeting with top staff members was expected early Saturday and he was expected to take the stage at 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT).
Even some top supporters who had spoken with Cain were arriving Saturday unsure what he would say.
Cain returned to his suburban Atlanta home Friday and met with his wife, Gloria. It was the first time they have seen each other face to face since a 46-year-old woman, Ginger White, came forward on Monday, and said she and Herman Cain had carried on a 13-year relationship.
“My wife and family comes first. I’ve got to take that into consideration,” Cain said.
Cain has denied having an affair with White. He said the concern over the toll the allegations were having on his family as well as a candid assessment of whether his campaign could still attract the needed support would inform his decision on whether to press ahead.
Campaign volunteers were keeping busy Friday night, tacking up signs at his headquarters. A contingent of Secret Service agents inspected the site in advance of Cain’s arrival.
“We are moving ahead,” said Cain’s Georgia director David McCleary, who said he had talked to the candidate earlier in the day and described him as “upbeat.”
Cain, the former Godfather’s Pizza chief executive, has never held elected office, but rose to become an unexpected front-runner in the volatile Republican race in October. A self-styled outsider, Cain enjoyed strong support from the conservative, anti-tax tea party movement who viewed him as an alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. His catchy 9-9-9 tax overhaul proposal — a 9 percent tax on income, a 9 percent business tax and a 9 percent national sales tax.
But once in the national spotlight, Cain fumbled policy questions, leaving some to wonder whether he was ready for the presidency. Then it was revealed at the end of October that the National Restaurant Association had paid settlements to two women who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was president of the organization.
A third woman told The Associated Press that Cain made inappropriate sexual advances but that she didn’t file a complaint. A fourth woman also stepped forward to accuse Cain of groping her in a car in 1997.
Cain has denied wrongdoing in all cases.
The main beneficiary of Cain’s fall has been former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, who has risen steadily in polls nationally and in early voting states. Gingrich has emerged as the main challenger to fellow front-runner Mitt Romney in the Republican race to take on President Barack Obama next year.
Polls suggest Cain’s popularity has suffered. A Des Moines Register poll released Friday showed Cain’s support plunging, with backing from 8 percent of Republican caucus-goers in Iowa, compared with 23 percent a month ago. The Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3 kick off the state-by-state contests that will choose delegates to the party’s national nominating convention.
Cain’s fundraising has also fallen off. He issued an email appeal to supporters on Friday asking for donations, in an attempt to gauge whether his financial support has dried up.
“I need to know that you are behind me 100 percent,” Cain told backers. “In today’s political environment, the only way we can gauge true support is by the willingness of our supporters to invest in this effort.”
On Friday, Cain urged backers in South Carolina to look past the allegations.
“There’s a lot of garbage on the Internet. There’s a lot of garbage out there on the TV. There’s a lot of garbage out there about me, don’t you know? There’s a lot of misinformation out there. You have to stay informed and check out the facts for yourself,” Cain said.
He added: “I’m on this journey for a reason. I don’t look back.”
And his campaign was taking some steps to blunt the allegations, unveiling a “Women for Herman Cain” webpage with testimonials from female backers, some urging him to stay in the race.
It was led by Gloria Cain.
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Associated Press writers Shannon McCaffrey in Atlanta, Philip Elliott in South Carolina and Steve Peoples in New Hampshire contributed to this report.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
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