During this year's presidential campaign, Herman Cain has battled accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace and seeming incompetence on key issues such as foreign policy. Yesterday, a new item was added to the list: a revelation of a long-term, extramarital affair.

A woman living in Atlanta named Ginger White alleged that she and Cain had a relationship which lasted for thirteen years, ending shortly before Cain declared his run for the presidency.

Cain responded Monday by brushing off the news and saying, "Here we go again," insisting that both he and the country were more concerned with issues of political importance.

The campaign seemed determined to keep moving forward in hopes that all the obstacles in Cain's path would fall by the wayside. However, this morning Cain told staffers he is "reassessing" his candidacy, and will make a definite decision on whether or not to keep running in the next few days.

All of this comes at a time when Cain's surge in the polls has been waning. Once the Republican favorite for the nomination, he is now routinely losing to Mitt Romney.

WEIGH IN:

What does Cain's reaction to Ginger White's story signify? Is the smart move to play it down and keep going, or address it head on and reevaluate one's position? Can such a crisis be managed effectively in Cain's favor? Does he still have a realistic chance as a viable candidate? And, especially at this point in the race with a candidate that has already suffered the slings and arrows of a presidential run, should we still care?

Guest:

Jennifer Jacobs, chief political reporter for The Des Moines Register. She was on a conference call earlier this morning with Herman Cain and his campaign.

David Mark, Senior Editor for POLITICO

Phil Noble, founder of PoliticsOnline and its affiliated company Phil Noble & Associates, an international public affairs consulting firm.