The once-surging presidential campaign for Herman Cain is coming to a close. The Georgia Republican and businessman announced Saturday that he is âÄúsuspendingâÄù his bid for the Oval Office.
Political experts had been forecasting the end of CainâÄôs campaign for weeks and his poll numbers had been slipping drastically since a number of sexual harassment claims came to light. Just one month ago, a Des Moines Register poll showed he had 23 percent approval among Republican voters. That number sank to 8 percent in a new poll released Friday.
Candidate after candidate has been thrust in and out of the spotlight as the Republican Party searches for an alternative to front-runner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. The alternatives have ranged from U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, to Cain and now former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
CainâÄôs campaign made for one of the more interesting and dramatic storylines.
First, a sudden rise in popularity: Cain went from being a fringe candidate for the partyâÄôs nomination to a serious contender in a matter of weeks in October. He surged in the polls but by the end of the month a handful of allegations surfaced of sexual harassment while he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the âÄô90s. Then, earlier this week, a Georgia woman claimed she and Cain had a 13-year affair.
Though he denied every allegation, he told his crowd of supporters Saturday that the âÄúfalse and unproved accusationsâÄù had taken their toll on his political and personal lives, according to the Associated Press.
âÄúNow hereâÄôs why it hurts âÄî because my wife, my family and I, we know that those false and unproved allegations are not true,âÄù he said. âÄúSo one of the first declarations that I want to make to you today is that I am at peace with my God. I am at peace with my wife. And she is at peace with me.âÄù
Cain said he is switching to âÄúPlan BâÄù âÄî a new website touting some of his platform, including the 9-9-9 tax plan, called thecainsolutions.com. He also said he will be endorsing one of his former rivals âÄúin the near future.âÄù
