Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, a top supporter of President Trump, has died after battling the coronavirus. He was 74.
His death was announced Thursday on his website. Cain, who was once considered by Trump for the Federal Reserve, was diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after attending the president's controversial campaign rally in Tulsa.
He was photographed at the June 20 gathering not wearing a mask and not observing social distancing guidelines.
“Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” spokesman Dan Calabrese said in social media post. “We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery.”
Cain was hospitalized on July 2, two days after being diagnosed with the deadly virus.
Recent posts by Calabrese had suggested Cain was recovering. A message on July 5 said he was “making progress” and that “more encouraging news” was expected to come soon. Two days later, Cain’s Twitter account said “doctors are trying to make sure his oxygen levels are right.”
He is one of the highest-profile public figures in the United States to have died from coronavirus.
He had been a business executive and board chairman of a branch of Kansas City’s Federal Reserve Bank before moving into Republican politics and eventually becoming a presidential candidate in 2011.
He was a Tea Party activist and was the co-chair of "Black Voices for Trump."
Trump briefly considered him for the top post at the Federal Reserve last year before Cain withdrew from consideration after several Congress members said they would not vote for him.
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