Cain campaign crumbling after affair allegation

Herman Cain

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Republican presidential  contender Herman Cain told aides yesterday he would reassess  the viability of his struggling campaign after an Atlanta woman  accused him of conducting a 13-year extramarital affair.

Ginger White

The allegations could be the end of the political line for  Cain, who led the Republican White House race barely more than  a month ago but has nosedived in polls after a series of sexual  harassment charges and campaign missteps.

Cain denies he had an affair with businesswoman Ginger White, who told an Atlanta television station that her on-and-off relationship with Cain began in the mid-1990s.

The former pizza executive told aides in a conference call  transcribed by the conservative magazine National Review that  he would gauge the impact of the charges over the next few days  and see if it created a cloud of doubt in supporters’ minds.

“Obviously, this is cause for reassessment,” Cain told  staff members, adding he would continue his campaign schedule  over the next few days.

Herman Cain

“The public will have to decide whether they believe her or  whether they believe me. That’s why we’re going to give it  time, to see what type of response we get from our supporters,”  he said.

The allegation of an affair comes five weeks before Iowa  kicks off the Republican battle for the right to challenge  Democratic President Barack Obama, giving Cain little time to  resurrect a once high-flying campaign.

In addition to sexual harassment allegations by four women,  Cain also has stumbled recently on the campaign trail. He  raised alarm among conservatives with confusing comments about  abortion and badly fumbled a question on Libya policy.

His fundraising also appears to have stalled. Aides who  crowed about his strong surge in donations in October have  declined to answer questions about his cash flow in recent  days.

“It’s over for Cain. On the heels of everything else, I  don’t see how you come back from this,” Republican strategist  Rich Galen said.

Cain’s difficulties have opened the door for Newt Gingrich,  the former House speaker who has zoomed to the top of opinion  polls with the support of conservatives hunting for an  alternative to the more moderate Mitt Romney in the Republican  race.

Conservatives have failed to coalesce around a single  candidate this year as several contenders — first U.S.  Representative Michele Bachmann, then Texas Governor Rick Perry  and then Cain — have risen in polls only to fall back.

 ‘ONE MORE THING’      

“I don’t see a path to victory for Cain anymore,” said Ryan  Rhodes, founder of the Iowa Tea Party. “He was already looking  at the end of the line, but this is one more thing to finish  him.”

Gingrich has seen his poll numbers rise as Cain’s crumbled. Support for Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has held  relatively steady in the mid-20s in polls for much of the  year.

Gingrich, who is in his third marriage, told CBS News the  accusations did not disqualify Cain and he should be given a  chance to recover.

“Remember, I was supposed to be dead in June and July,”  said Gingrich, who hit bottom in opinion polls after a mass  staff exodus over the summer. “I am not going to go around and  declare anybody else dead.”