Herman Cain reiterated Wednesday that he was “reassessing” and “re-evaluating” his presidential campaign, saying he would make a final decision about continuing his White House run within a week.
“A week from now I will have made a final decision,” Cain said in an appearance on FOX News Channel.
The former pizza executive said the recent allegations of an extramarital affair and earlier accusations of sexual harassment have taken a damaging toll on his family, especially his wife. Cain said reassessing his presidential bid with them was his “number one priority.”
He added that he was also taking into consideration feedback from his contributors and supporters, noting that the response so far has been “overwhelmingly positive for me to stay.”
Cain repeated his assertion that the scandalous allegations that surfaced after he began rising to the top of the polls were the result of a “character assassination” against him, and he suggested that the charges could be part of a political assault from the left.
“I honestly believe that the Republicans, you know, want it to be a fair competition. I happen to think that these attacks on me are coming from the other side,” he told FOX News Channel’s Neil Cavuto. “My star was shining and rising too fast … they wanted to take some of that shine off.”
He directly addressed the most recent accusation — a claim by Atlanta woman Ginger White that she had a 13-year affair with the married Republican candidate which ended earlier this year. In going public with her story this week, White said she consistently received gifts and money from Cain.
Cain strongly denied having a romantic relationship with White and explained that he had given her money just as he had helped other friends in need of financial assistance.
“Over the years, because I have been successful, I have helped many people financially,” he said.
He also noted that he was battling cancer in 2006 and said he could not have possibly had an affair with someone while he was fighting the disease.