Politics in America: Cain suspends campaign

Bethany Dixon, Staff Writer
December 8, 2011
Filed under News & Features

On Dec. 3, Herman Cain announced that he was suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
“As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign,” Cain said. “Because of the continued distractions, the continued hurt caused on me and my family, not because we are not fighters. Not because I’m not a fighter.”
This announcement came after multiple allegations of sexual harassment and a 13-year affair with Ginger White. White told a local Atlanta television reporter that she and Cain had only ended this affair recently.
“It wasn’t a love affair, it was a sexual affair,” White told MSNBC.
White has produced phone records showing that they called and texted each other often and Cain has admitted to giving her financial support in the past. Cain insists that this was simply a friendship. His wife was unaware of this friendship.
“I send checks to a lot of people. I help people,” he told Fox News. “That in itself is not proof.”
Cain has stated that he gave White money in order to help her pay for her monthly bills and expenses.
Cain’s wife, Gloria, stood next to him during the announcement.
The suspension of Cain’s campaign has tightened the Republican primary race. At this point it looks like the race is between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Cain has said that he might endorse one of the other candidates. Polls have shown that as Cain’s numbers slipped, Gingrich’s number rose. A recent CNN poll shows that voters see Gingrich as the candidate that is strongest where Cain was weakest.
Though, there is a question about Gingrich’s personal life as well. His past infidelity, to which he has admitted, could be brought up. Rick Perry released an ad that focused on his faith; the ad has been said to be a subtle dig at Gingrich’s past infidelity.
The question now is where Cain’s followers will go. Perry’s media coordinator has already invited Cain’s supporters to join Perry over Twitter. Political insiders believe that Cain’s supporters will stay out of the primary campaign completely. Many Cain supporters feel burned. One such supporter stated, after the rally, that he felt as though they had thrown their money away. This reflects the gun-shy attitude of many Cain supporters. They want to make sure that they back a candidate who has a chance in the primary and will remain in the campaign.