Outside the Beltway

Report: Cain “Reassessing” Whether To Stay In Race

Doug Mataconis · Tuesday, November 29, 2011 · 8 comments

In the wake of last night’s revelations of a woman alleging a 13 year affair, National Review’s Robert Costa reports this:

In a conference call this morning, Herman Cain told his senior staff that he is “reassessing” whether to remain in the race. He told them he will make his final decision “over the next several days.”

ABC News’s Jonathan Karl tweets that Cain’s statement on the conference call has been confirmed by Campaign Director/Chief of Staff Mark Block. This could be the beginning of the end.

Update: NRO has updated it’s original post with some of the content of the conference call:

Obviously, you’re all aware of this recent firestorm that hit the news yesterday,” Cain began, his voice somber. “First thing I want to do is say to you what I have said publicly: I deny those charges, unequivocally. Secondly, I have known this lady for a number of years. And thirdly, I have been attempting to help her financially because she was out of work and destitute, desperate. So, thinking that she was a friend — and I have helped many friends — I now know that she wasn’t the friend that I thought she was. But it was a just a friendship relationship.”

“That being said, obviously, this is cause for reassessment,” he continued. “As you know, during the summer we had to make some reassessments based upon our financial situation. We were able to hang in there; we reassessed the situation and kept on going. We also did a reassessment after the Iowa straw poll and we made another reassessment after the Florida straw poll. When the previous two accusations, false accusations, came about, we made another assessment. The way we handled those was, we continued on with our schedule. We made an assessment about what was going to happen to our support. But our supporters, and even some folks that we didn’t have as supporters, they stood with us, and they showed it not only in terms of their verbal support, they showed it in terms of their dollars.”

“Now, with this latest one, we have to do an assessment as to whether or not this is going to create too much of a cloud, in some people’s minds, as to whether or not they would be able to support us going forth,” Cain said.

“Over the next several days, we are going to continue with the schedule as usual,” he said. “I’ve got a major speech tonight at Hillsdale College on national security and foreign policy, and I will deliver it with vim, vigor, and enthusiasm. And then tomorrow we’ve got some media appearances scheduled. So we’re going to continue until we complete our assessment over the next several days.”

Take that as you will. It is, to say the least, interesting that Cain would discuss something like this on a conference call that was open to people outside the campaign staff itself. As for Cain’s words themselves, you can take them as a sign that Cain really is thinking about dropping out, or that they are looking to see if their supporters are still with them and what impact this will have on fundraising. Cain did repeat, though, what he said on CNN last night, that he would also have to take into consideration what impact all of this is having on his family, which seems like the most likely reason he’d give for dropping out. In the end, though, it’s clear that Cain’s campaign is ending anyway. He’s likely to continue falling in the polls nationwide and in Iowa, and one would think his fundraising will dry up. Whether he stays in the race or not, Herman Cain is on his way to being a non-factor in this race if he isn’t already there.