While he may not have stayed in the Republican presidential race following accusations of marital impropriety and a series of gaffes, businessman Herman Cain shows no signs of heading to the political sidelines.
My mission is still to defeat Barack Obama and get the Republican nominee for the presidency elected, Cain wrote in an email to supporters sent out earlier in the month.
The restaurant executive, a favorite of the tea party movement, will be on the political center stage on Tuesday for the Tea Party Express when he offers a response to President Barack Obamas State of the Union address. Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana will offer the response for the Republicans.
Cain launched a new group this month -- Cains Connections -- which will continue to push his 9-9-9 plan to reform taxes across the board. With the new group, Cain is touring the nation on his Cains Solutions Revolutions bus tour and backing candidates who support his tax plan. For example, in Florida Cain threw his weight behind fellow restaurant executive Craig Miller, who is running in the crowded Republican primary field looking to beat Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.
Cain also enjoyed a bit of the limelight last week when he spoke in Charleston on Thursday, two days before the Republican presidential primary. Speaking to the Southern Republican Leadership group, Cain promised an unconventional endorsement -- though he did not back any of his former rivals for the GOP nomination. Cain endorsed the people and promised to keep fighting for his tax plans.
Cain also enjoyed a bit more attention in the Palmetto State when comedian Stephen Colberts super-PAC encouraged Republican primary voters to support the former candidate, whose name remains on the ballot. Cain even took part in Colberts joke, filming a segment for the Colbert Report on Comedy Central and attending an event with the comedian in South Carolina on Friday.
Scoring an upset win over the Republican field in the Presidency 5 straw poll backed by the Republican Party of Florida, Cain rocketed to the top of national polls. However, a series of gaffes and accusations of extramarital affairs hurt his candidacy and Cain suspended his campaign on Dec. 3, 2011 -- a month before Iowa Republicans kicked off the procession of caucuses and primaries that will determine who will challenge Obama in November.
Cain is joining otjer defeated presidential candidate who remained active in public life by looking to push the core issues of their campaign. For example, former U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts, who defeated Bill Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary in 1992, helped launch the Concord Coalition, which has been one of the most prominent organizations looking to combat the national debt.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
