Herman Cain dead at 74
Ex-CEO ran for GOP nod in 2012 presidential race
The former GOP presidental candidate and businessman fought a COVID-19 infection for nearly a month.
WASHINGTON – Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died after a battle with COVID-19, according to posts on his Twitter account and on his website.
“Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” wrote Dan Calabrese, the editor of Cain’s website.
“Herman was 74. Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer,” he continued.
The former Godfather’s Pizza CEO, who also served as the co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, was hospitalized at the beginning of July after developing coronavirus symptoms.
He attended President Donald Trump’s controversial rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the end of June, but he did not wear a mask. He posted a picture of himself and other attendees in close proximity and without wearing masks.
Local health officials had called for the event’s cancellation out of fears it could become a “super-spreader” event, and the head of the Tulsa Health Department later acknowledged the rally and surrounding protests had likely contributed to a surge in cases in Tulsa.
Several Trump campaign staffers and Secret Services employees tested positive for COVID-19 before the rally and self-quarantined.
As recently as Monday, an update on Cain’s website said he was still being treated with oxygen, but his organs were “strong.”
“He really is getting better, which means it is working,” the post said.
Trump tweeted a statement Thursday afternoon calling Cain a “special man, an American Patriot, and great friend.” He said he spoke on the phone with Cain’s family to express his condolences.
Vice President Mike Pence also expressed his sympathies to Cain’s family.
Former Cain aide Ellen Carmichael, who had served as the communications director for Cain’s campaign, tweeted her condolences, calling him a “giant of a person.”
Cain ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2012 Republican primary, attracting attention for his “9-9-9” plan to slash taxes. He suspended his campaign in December 2011, however, amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Cain denied the allegations.