Gingrich: Cain must do what is best for him and his family
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Wednesday said he was praying for fellow Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain and that Cain must to what is best for his family following allegations that he was involved in an extramarital affair.
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While speaking to reporters before a town hall meeting at Tommy’s Country Ham House, Gingrich was asked if Cain should drop out of the race. Gingrich, who represented Georgia in Congress for 20 years, referred to how his candidacy wasn’t given much of a chance over the summer when much of his campaign staff fled.
“First of all, as somebody that most of you said was dead in June, I am not in a position where I am going to say to any candidate that they don’t have the right to compete,” Gingrich, who has called Cain a good friend, told reporters. “Herman Cain has to do what he thinks is best and what he thinks is best for his family. My prayers are with him and with his family. This has got to be a very painful time… If I had listened to everybody who told me I was dead in June, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Cain, who lives in McDonough, told his staff this week that he was reassessing his campaign after a Dunwoody woman said the two had engaged in a 13-year relationship. Cain has denied Ginger White’s accusation, calling it “completely false.”
In an email his campaign sent supporters Tuesday evening, Cain called White a “troubled” woman whom he helped financially over the past few years. The former pizza chain executive and radio talk show host said he was not deterred by her allegation, indicating he would stay in the race. Cain has also vigorously denied harassment allegations brought by four other women, saying the “Democratic machine” is behind them. Two of those women have come forward publicly and two have received paid settlements from the National Restaurant Association, where Cain was CEO in the 1990s.
Some political observers have speculated that Gingrich could attract Cain’s supporters if Cain were to drop out of the race. Gingrich sidestepped a question about that possibility Wednesday.
“I don’t think you think in those kinds of [calculi] at this point,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He has to do what he thinks is right and all the different candidates will do whatever they will do in response to his decision.
“I am going to continue to run a positive campaign. I am going to continue to focus on Barack Obama. And, candidly, it seems to be working.”
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