Republican Herman Cain ploughed ahead with his struggling US presidential campaign today, vowing he would not be pushed out of the race by allegations of an extramarital affair and calling the charges "character assassination".
At two campaign stops in Ohio, Mr Cain said his supporters were sticking with him despite the latest controversy and accused his critics of trying to bring down his White House bid.
"They want you to believe that with enough character assassination on me that I will drop out," Mr Cain said in Dayton, drawing a chorus of "boos" and shouts of "No" from the crowd.
"One of the reasons they want to try and shoot me down and tear me down is because of the strength of my message," he said.
Earlier, in West Chester, Ohio, he said critics were trying to end his campaign but added: "I don't believe that America is going to let that happen."
Mr Cain (65) denies he had an affair with Atlanta businesswoman Ginger White, who claims their 13-year, on-and-off relationship began in the mid-1990s. But he says he is reassessing the viability of his campaign.
"We are reassessing as we speak," Mr Cain said, adding he would decide in the next few days whether to continue his bid to be the Republican challenger next year to President Barack Obama.
Mr Cain, a former pizza company executive who led among Republican aspirants barely more than a month ago, has nosedived in polls after a series of sexual harassment charges and campaign missteps.
In West Chester, a Cincinnati suburb that was the first stop on a three-city Ohio tour, Mr Cain tried to focus on his remedies for an ailing economy.
"There is a groundswell of support," he told reporters of the reaction to Ms White's claims.
Reuters