<p><i>(Photo:&nbsp; Scott Olson/Getty Images)</i></p>

<p>Embattled GOP presidential candidate <a href="http://www.bet.com/topics/h/herman-cain.html">Herman Cain</a>&nbsp;announced on today that he is ?suspending? his campaign. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/260738/20111203/herman-cain-announcement-text-speech.htm">announcement</a> came in the wake of claims from Atlanta businesswoman&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bet.com/news/politics/2011/11/30/herman-cain-says-reassessing-his-campaign-doesn-t-mean-he-s-dropping-out.html">Ginger White</a> that she had conducted a 13-year-long affair with him, in addition to weeks of allegations from other women of sexual harassment during his time as head of the National Restaurant Association.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cain met with key advisers in Atlanta Saturday to inform them of his decision after meeting with his wife and family on Friday to discuss the campaign?s future. He unveiled his plans at a previously planned rally in Atlanta and until he actually announced the decision, it was not entirely clear what he would do.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>?Becoming president was Plan A. And before you get discouraged today I want to describe Plan B,? he said. ?So as of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family?not because we are not fighters, not because I am not a fighter.?<br> </p> <p><br> Cain has been losing ground since numerous women have come forward accusing him of sexual harassment. His poll numbers have dropped, his supporters are fleeing and fundraising has suffered.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He said that while reassessing his campaign he realized the impact the accusations against him were having on his family, his supporters and his ability to raise the funds he would need to be competitive in the presidential race, he concluded it was necessary to suspend his campaign.<br> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A <i>Des Moines Register</i> <a href="http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/02/iowa-poll-cain-support-in-iowa-takes-nose-dive/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">poll</a> released Friday showed Cain's support plummeting, with backing from just 8 percent of Republican caucusgoers in Iowa, down from 23 percent a month ago, writes the Associated Press.<br> </p> <p><br> ?Plan B is that I will continue to be a force for the people. That's why today we are launching TheCainSolutions.com, where the people will choose -- not the media, not the politicians -- and the people will show that the people are still in charge of this country,? he said. ?Through this new organization, I will still be promoting the biggest change, transfer of power out of Washington, D.C., back to the people since this nation began, and that is the 9-9-9 plan.?<br> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cain also said that he will continue to push his foreign policy plan of &quot;peace through strength and clarity,&quot; and that he plans to endorse another candidate in the near future, adding that it won't be President Obama.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cain signed of with a quote from <i>The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>, that he attributed to <i>Pokemon</i>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>?Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It's never easy when there's so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference,? he said. ?There's a mission just for you and me. Just look inside and you will find just what you can do. Just look inside and you will find just what you can do.?<br> <br> <br> <br> <i>BET Politics - Your source for the latest news, photos and videos illuminating key issues and personalities in African-American political life, plus commentary from some of our liveliest voices.</i></p>