Herman Cain will suspend his bid for the Republican nomination for president, he announced at his Atlanta campaign headquarters Saturday afternoon.
Saying he is at peace with his God and at peace with his wife, Cain said becoming president was Plan A but he is suspending that plan.
Rather, he is going with Plan B, which includes launching a website and working to be a force from the outside of the campaign for president. He also promised to endorse a candidate at a later date.
“I can't thank all of you enough for what you have done, how far we have come and what we have done. … the things we have been able to achieve,” Cain began Sunday, with his wife, Gloria, at his side. “I chose to run for president because the politicians in DC wouldn't do their jobs. They have failed to provide economic growth. They have failed to get spending on conrol. They have failed to make us less dependent on foreign oil. These are some of the reasons that inspired me to run for president.”
He went on to say that an empathy for the frustrations of Americans pushed him into the race.
Acknowledging that he “didn't fit the usual description of someone who should run for president,” Cain said he didn't have name identification and didn't have a huge war chest and didn't have a political pedigree. But said he has learned that message is more powerful than money.
Prior to the announcement, many analysts had speculated that accusations of sexual harassment and an extended marital affair would end Cain's candidacy.
“I am one of you, not one of the political elites,” Cain said. “But as false accusations about me have continued, they have sidetracked my ability to present solutions to the American people. I have made mistakes in life … and I take responsibility for the mistakes I have made.”
Cain said the allegations were false and have exacted a huge price on his family and have caused great pain to his family.
“That spin hurts. It hurts my wife. It hurts my family. It hurts me. And it hurts the American people because you are being denied solutions to our problems,” Cain said as supporters broke into chants of “Her-Man. Her-man. Her-man” and later “Glo-ri-a. Glo-ri-a.”
© 2011 McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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