Saturday afternoon, US Republican Herman Cain officially announced that he is no longer running for Republican nomination seeking the White House. The Georgia businessman who led the Republican race barely more than a month ago had been under mounting pressure to quit following adultery allegations, which he denies.
We’re told the 65 year old Cain discussed the decision with his wife of 42 years, Gloria and family on Friday night whether to press on with his campaign, which has also been rocked by sexual harassment claims.
The former pizza executive had gone from obscure longshot to unlikely frontrunner to tabloid dude but a new poll by the Des Moines Register newspaper in that state showed Mr Cain’s support among Republican voters has plunged to 8%, from 23% in October.
While Mr Cain’s ratings have slumped, support for former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich has surged.
Mr Gingrich has now overtaken Mitt Romney in some opinion polls on who should be the Republican candidate to challenge Barack Obama for the White House in November 2012.
Last week the FOX station in Atlanta told the world about the Georgia woman, Ginger White, 46, (ABOVE) who came forward to say she had a 13-year affair with him.
Speaking to MSNBC on Thursday, Ms White denied they had been in love, saying: “It was a sexual affair – as hard as that is for me to say.”
