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Herman Cain backs Gingrich
“I had it in my heart and mind a long time ago,” Cain said.
The timing is similar to a Saturday night surprise four years ago, when then-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed John McCain’s presidential bid.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry also endorsed Gingrich when he bowed out of the race in South Carolina.
Since exiting the race in December, Cain appeared at a rally in South Carolina with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert.
Cain, the charismatic former head of Godfather’s Pizza, briefly led in the polls in the fall. He became known for his signature 9-9-9 tax overhaul plan that would have scrapped the current tax code and replaced it with a 9 percent tax on individual income and corporate taxes as well as a new 9 percent national sales tax.
But his support plummeted after accusations that he sexually harassed women more than a decade ago when he led the National Restaurant Association. An Atlanta-area woman then stepped forward and said she had a lengthy sexual affair with Cain.
He denied the affair and any wrongdoing but withdrew from the race saying the accusations had become distracting and he needed to focus on his family.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
