Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich wouldn't rule out the viability of rival GOP contender Herman Cain to win the nomination despite allegations that surfaced Monday that he engaged in an affair.
"I'm not going to say any candidate is done. Every candidate has a chance to go out and make their case. These are all good friends of mine and I wish all of them well personally, although obviously I'd like to be the nominee," said Gingrich on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" Monday.
Herman Cain on Monday denied accusations of an extramarital affair, the latest in a string of allegations of sexual impropriety that have dogged the Republican presidential candidate.
Ginger White, an Atlanta businesswoman, claimed that she and Cain had engaged in a 13-year-long affair during which Cain would fly her across the country and lavish her with gifts and expensive dinners.
Former House Speaker Gingrich said he believes Cain and all of the GOP hopefuls have the chance to improve and bounce back from declining poll numbers.
"They have to have a chance to defend themselves, to explain themselves, and see whether or not they can recover. And I'd say that's true across all the various candidates who had a good run at some point, and then faded," Gingrich said.
When pressed on whether a drop in support for Cain's candidacy has helped his own campaign, Gingrich said, "Well, it's been nice to get endorsed by the Union Leader and it's been nice to have the recent surge in support."
The first national poll taken in the GOP presidential race since Gingrich received the key endorsement from the Manchester, N.H., Union Leader on Sunday showed he has a nine-percentage-point lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
