Under-pressure Cain to reveal White House decision

Businessman Herman Cain has sent mixed signals on whether he would abandon his beleaguered White House bid today in the wake of a woman’s allegation of an extramarital affair.

Mr Cain said yesterday he would make a “major announcement” on whether he would press on.

It is the latest – and perhaps final – twist in a campaign saga that has taken the Georgia businessman from unknown longshot to surprise frontrunner to embattled tabloid subject.

A political novice, Mr Cain had leveraged strong anti-tax tea party support to hurtle to the front of the pack in October casting himself as an anti-establishment outsider.

His catchy 9-9-9 tax overhaul proposal helped his rise. But his effort soon lost altitude.

The main beneficiary of Mr Cain’s fall has been former speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, who has risen steadily in polls nationally and in early voting states.

Mr Gingrich has emerged as the main challenger to fellow front-runner Mitt Romney in the Republican race to take on President Barack Obama next year.

Mr Cain arrived at his suburban Atlanta home yesterday afternoon to talk with his wife of 42 years, Gloria, about whether to continue after his campaign was rocked by multiple sexual harassment allegations and this week’s claim that he had a 13-year affair.

He denies wrongdoing. It was their first face-to-face meeting since the allegation was made public.

Earlier, in a speech in South Carolina, Mr Cain would not disclose whether he would drop out but told supporters to stay tuned.

He said he would clarify the next steps of the campaign and assured backers the affair claim was “garbage”. But he also said he needed to consider what he would do with campaign donations already banked if he dropped out of the race.

“My wife and family comes first. I’ve got to take that into consideration,” Mr Cain said.