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Herman Cain’s campaign run imploding
After the conference call, Cain attorney Linn Wood told The Associated Press: “Any report that Mr. Cain has decided to withdraw his candidacy is inaccurate.”
“I think they are assessing the situation, just as I would expect the campaign to do or any prudent business person to do,” said Wood. He added that he would hate to see what he described as false accusations drive Cain out of the race for the presidency.
As Cain’s troubles began sapping support, Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, has moved into first place ahead of Mitt Romney, according to a Real Clear Politics average of four national polls. Cain was in third place before the most recent allegations about his sexual behavior. Those first became known with allegations that Cain, a former pizza chain executive, sexually harassed women who worked for the National Restaurant Association when he ran the trade group in the 1990s.
Gingrich, who has seen his political standing rise as he has posted solid debate performances, has become the latest challenger to Romney, whose poll numbers have dipped slightly. Romney is the favorite of the Republican establishment but deeply distrusted by party conservatives and evangelical Christians who see his record as too moderate.
The Real Clear Politics average shows Gingrich with a 2.5 percentage-point edge over Romney. Gingrich has rebounded from his campaign’s near collapse this summer, when much of his staff resigned.
So far Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Cain have made a serious run at Romney before falling from favor and quickly drifting out of contention as deeply conservative Republican primary voters search for an alternative to Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist. Beyond his moderate record, many conservatives view Romney as too ready to shift positions on issues held dear by the party’s base.
Gingrich, after focusing his fire on Obama, has begun attacking Romney, branding him as a political opportunist.
