Former GOP Candidate Herman Cain Dies of COVID

He was 74
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 30, 2020 10:50 AM CDT
Former GOP Candidate Herman Cain Dies of COVID
A 2014 photo of Herman Cain.   (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)

The coronavirus has claimed another familiar name: Herman Cain, a 2012 GOP presidential candidate, has died at age 74, reports CNBC. Cain was hospitalized in Atlanta on July 1, though his Twitter feed had reported that he was improving throughout the month and quoted Cain himself as saying he was on "cruise control" on July 10. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, who was a cancer survivor and thus at greater risk for COVID-19, made his mark in the business world before he entered politics. In fact, President Trump once considered putting him on the Federal Reserve.

Cain co-chaired the group Black Voices for Trump. About two weeks before he entered the hospital, Cain tweeted a photo of himself with others at Trump's rally in Tulsa, Okla. Neither he nor those around him were wearing masks, though it's not clear whether he contracted the virus at the rally. While in the hospital, Axios notes that Cain tweeted a comment (since deleted) about the president's July 4 celebration at Mount Rushmore, writing: "Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!" (More Herman Cain stories.)

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