MANCHESTER, N.H. – Herman Cain invoked the wisdom of baseball great Yogi Berra to explain where his presidential campaign stands, speaking on Wednesday night to about 50 supporters at his New Hampshire headquarters.
“It ain’t over till it's over, and it ain’t over yet,” the Atlanta businessman said.
Fresh off the latest round of accusations of inappropriate behavior -- reports of a 13-year affair with a woman named Ginger White surfaced on Monday --Cain says he’s “reevaluating” his campaign, though he’s acting the part of a candidate for now.
At the end of a long day that began with a bus tour of Ohio, Cain said he was looking at the impact of the latest accusations on his family, his supporters, and his donors. He said his contributions took a hit after the White accusations -- and still haven’t returned to the levels they were before.
“The day this latest one hit, fundraising went down -- I’ll admit that -- because a lot of people were in doubt. That’s not unusual,” Cain told reporters at a short press conference after he spoke with supporters. “But here’s the good news: As the week has gone on and this woman who has made these accusations has basically started to contradict herself, our fundraising is starting to go back up. It’s not up to the level of where it was, but a lot of people are saying, you know what, they don’t believe it.”
Any decisions about the future of his campaign won’t be made for at least “another few days,” Cain said, because “I do not make decisions based upon a knee-jerk reaction.” A deciding factor in days ahead will be a face-to-face conversation with his wife about the accusations. In a testy exchange with a reporter, Cain said he had spoken to his wife “many times” since Monday, but not in person yet.
Cain’s engagement with the media on Wednesday night did not extend to all topics. Asked to describe his relationship with White, Cain didn’t even acknowledge the question and instead pivoted to promoting his “9-9-9” plan.
One thing that might worry supporters -- and donors -- going forward: Cain, who also has been accused of sexual harassment by four former employees, said he “can't possibly say that someone else won't turn up another accusation,” because he has worked with thousands of people over the years.
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment