Herman Cain: Will He Stay in the Race?

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When Gary Hart ran for the presidential nomination for the Democratic ticket in 1987, he dared the press to follow him. This turned out to be a dumb move, as he was caught having an affair with Donna Rice. As a result, Hart  dropped his bid for the Democratic ticket. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Currently, Ginger White of Georgia just came forward to say that Herman Cain has been having an affair with her for 13 years.

Cain is re-thinking his candidacy for the Republication nomination as a result of White’s allegations and because of prior allegations about Cain’s sexual misconduct.

Should a presidential candidate’s private life matter during a presidential campaign? Should the public care if the candidate has had an extended affair?

The answer is yes, especially if the candidate is running on a platform of family values. Cain is an ordained Baptist minister who is not afraid to speak to the population. It’s not only the “liberals” who are derisive of Cain at this point in the election cycle; even conservative Republicans are starting to turn away from Cain. According to Politico, while none of the Republican leaders has specifically asked Cain to leave the race, some conservative groups have stated that they won’t be endorsing Cain’s candidacy. (It’s interesting to note, however, that the ultra-conservatives didn’t turn away from Cain when the first sexual harassment allegations came out. Is sexual harassment less of an offense than adultery in the eyes of the religious right?)

Cain’s wife is not staying mum on the topic of the allegations against her husband; she has stated repeatedly that she doesn’t believe that he is capable of the sexual misconduct allegations that have been brought forth against him. I am guessing that she will—if she hasn’t already—defend her husband in regard to his possible infidelity with White.

The fall-out if Cain leaves the race will likely be an upsurge in support for Newt Gingrich. As Politico observes, Gingrich also has his own history of infidelity. However, because his “offenses” are further in the past, it seems as if the religious right is willing to overlook Gingrich’s behavior.

The right may just be using Cain’s alleged infidelity as an excuse to support Gingrich instead; my thinking is that Gingrich is a much more astute candidate politically than Cain and that the right might have wanted to support him anyway.