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POLITICO

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Caitlin Oprysko and Louis Nelson on politico.com on July 30, 2020.
Herman Cain, the businessman and political activist who made a splash in Republican politics as a 2012 presidential candidate, died on Thursday at the age of 74 after a month-long battle with coronavirus.
Cain was diagnosed with the virus in late June and was hospitalised earlier this month in Atlanta when his condition worsened.
“We knew when he was first hospitalised with Covid-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance,” Dan Calabrese, the editor of Herman Cain’s website, wrote in a statement.

“We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.”
Just three days ago, a series of tweets posted to Cain’s account said that he was “still in the hospital being treated with oxygen for his lungs” but that “he really is getting better, which means it is working”.
The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza emerged on the political scene in 2011 as a long-shot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
Against a field of more established politicians, Cain ascended and was briefly a front runner for the Republican nomination. His White House bid fizzled amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour during his tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association.
More recently, Cain served as a surrogate for President Donald Trump and was a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. Cain attended Trump’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally in June, two weeks before his diagnosis with coronavirus, though in a statement announcing his hospitalisation, Cain’s staff warned that “there is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr Cain contracted the coronavirus”.
Governor who hosted Trump’s Tulsa rally tests positive for coronavirus
Cain tweeted a picture on June 20 of himself and others at Trump’s indoor rally, which took place over the objections of local and federal health officials who cited the virus’ continued threat.
“Here’s just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonight’s rally! Having a fantastic time!” Cain’s tweet read alongside a picture of about a dozen people not wearing masks.
He later penned an op-ed hailing the rally as a major success in an attempt to counter media reports focused on the lack of attendance at the rally.
“The media worked very hard to scare people out of attending the Trump campaign rally last Saturday night in Tulsa,” he wrote, calling the crowd “huge” and “enthusiastic” while declaring that “everyone who attended came away from it feeling good”.


Cain frequently downplayed the risk of Covid-19, even as he remained hospitalised with the virus, with his account praising the president’s decision not to require masks at an upcoming speech at Mount Rushmore. “PEOPLE ARE FED UP!” he said in a tweet.
On June 29, the day he tested positive, Cain downplayed the threat of coronavirus in Florida amid record hospitalisations and cases in the state.
“The news is better than what you're being told,” Cain wrote on Twitter. A few weeks earlier, Cain wondered on Twitter if the virus was weakening.
Cain has held prominent positions in a number of different fields throughout his life, after growing up poor in Atlanta and earning a degree in mathematics at Morehouse College and a masters in computer science from Purdue University.
Empty seats, underwhelming crowd at Trump’s Tulsa rally
After serving as a ballistics analyst in the Navy, Cain worked for Coca-Cola before rising through the ranks at Pillsbury, eventually becoming a regional manager for 400 Burger King locations in the Philadelphia region.
In 1986 he was appointed president of Godfather’s Pizza, a national chain based in Omaha, Nebraska, which he brought back from the brink of bankruptcy.
He also served as the CEO of the National Restaurant Association, a key lobbying organisation, and on the board of the Kansas City branch of the Federal Reserve, including as its chairman.
Cain dabbled in politics before his 2012 run, launching a long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 and an unsuccessful run against former Senator Johnny Isakson for an open Senate seat in Georgia in 2004.
But it was Cain’s 9-9-9 tax proposal – which called for the federal tax code to be replaced with three separate taxes of 9 per cent: one on income, one on business and one on sales – that earned him fans during his 2012 run.


Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit.  Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.
 — Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) July 30, 2020

Cain’s campaign came undone when POLITICO reported accusations of sexual misconduct levelled against him while he served as the head of the National Restaurant Association.
At least two women accused Cain of sexually suggestive behaviour that made them angry and uncomfortable, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association.
Cain suspended his campaign roughly a month after the allegations surfaced, citing “the continued distraction, the continued hurt to me and my family” caused by the accusations.
Cain also became a media personality, rising to prominence as a Tea Party activist and hosting the The Herman Cain Show from 2008-2011 on Atlanta’s WSB Radio. He served briefly as a commentator on Fox News, had recently joined the cable network Newsmax TV as a contributor and was in the process of launching a weekly show there, the network said.
Cain unable: Trump stumbles in bid to reshape Fed
In April 2019, Trump publicly considered nominating Cain to a seat on the Federal Reserve, a move that was met with scepticism among Republicans in the Senate. The president later relented, writing on Twitter that Cain had asked not to be nominated.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who served on Trump’s re-election campaign before joining the White House, expressed her sympathy in a tweet, writing that Cain “embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit”.
She added: “Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/30/herman-cain-death-covid-388081



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Political activist Herman Cain dies after coronavirus fight

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain speaks during an event at a hotel in Washington in February 2012. Photo: AFP

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Attorney General William Barr testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing in the Congressional Auditorium at the US Capitol Visitors Center July 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. - In his first congressional testimony in more than a year, Barr is expected to face questions from the committee about his deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Portland, Oregon, and other cities in response to Black Lives Matter protests; his role in using federal agents to violently clear protesters from Lafayette Square near the White House last month before a photo opportunity for President Donald Trump in front of a church; his intervention in court cases involving Trump's allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn; and other issues. (Photo by Matt McClain / POOL / AFP)

Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, right, wears a protective mask during a hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Attorney General William Barr offered a combative defense of his independence from Donald Trump in testimony before the committee in the Democratic-controlled House for the first time since he became attorney general more than 17 months ago. Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg

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Cain was briefly a front runner in race for 2012 Republican presidential nomination
He had attended Trump’s Tulsa rally in June, two weeks before Covid-19 diagnosis



Republican political activist had attended Trump’s Tulsa rally in June, two weeks before his coronavirus diagnosis.


Politico | Political activist Herman Cain dies after coronavirus fight

Cain was briefly a front runner in race for 2012 Republican presidential nomination He had attended Trump’s Tulsa rally in June, two weeks before Covid-19 diagnosis

Cain was briefly a front runner in race for 2012 Republican presidential nomination

He had attended Trump’s Tulsa rally in June, two weeks before Covid-19 diagnosis