TULSA, Okla -- Status update: Yup, Herman Cain is still singing.

The grinning former presidential candidate on Monday treated Newt Gingrich supporters at a Tulsa pizza parlor to a booming rendition of "America the Beautiful" before launching into his case for the former speaker of the House.

"Even though I am no longer pursuing the position of president, I am still on a mission and that mission is to make sure that we get the right person in the White House and that person is former Speaker Newt Gingrich in order to help save America," he told the crowd of about 100. "That's why I am doing what I'm doing."

(Although the rally was held at a downtown Tulsa pizza joint, the onetime pie purveyor did not sample any of the goods.)

Heading into the Oklahoma primary, Cain joined former home state congressman J.C. Watts and Gingrich's daughter Jackie to promote the candidate's $2.50 gas plan. Watts predicted a primary struggle at least into May and said that Gingrich will continue to accumulate delegates after Super Tuesday.

"We think we're still in the hunt, and the voters are going to be good to us not just tomorrow but as we continue on," Watts said. 

Cain, himself a longtime radio host, spoke briefly to NBC News after the event about the exodus of at least eight advertisers from Rush Limbaugh's radio show.

"They would have to make that call," Cain said. "I just know that advertisers make their decisions about who they want to support and not support, but I don't think it's going to hurt the Rush Limbaugh show."

Asked if Limbaugh's comments about Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke, who has lobbied the Catholic university to cover birth control under its student insurance plans, had hurt the GOP, Cain offered a flat "no."

"No, I don't think they hurt the party because Rush Limbaugh is not running for anything, so I don't think they hurt the party at all," he said.

CHARLESTON, SC -- Erstwhile presidential candidate Herman Cain made his promised "unconventional endorsement" on Thursday, explaining to Republicans here that he supports "the people" in 2012.

The former Godfather's Pizza CEO appeared at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference to make his announcement weeks after having ended his own presidential campaign.

“Here is my unconventional endorsement: not a candidate seeking the nomination, not someone that’s not running. My unconventional endorsement is the people,” Cain bellowed to a near-empty arena at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.

"We the people of this nation are still in charge! That's who I'm endorsing! Because we're the ones that are going to have to lead this revolution. We're the ones who are gonna be able to take our power back. I'm endorsing the people, the people who started this country," he added.

Less than five minutes later, Cain -- clad in one of his signature gold ties -- told reporters he still may choose to endorse an actual candidate in the near future.

"Now the fact that I made an unconventional endorsement does not rule out that I still might endorse someone. I'm simply not going to do it now," he said. "I wanted my unconventional endorsement to be a part of a bigger message. That bigger position is Washington is broke."

Cain, in an attempt to reassert relevance in the GOP race, said that he "stopped by here to tell y'all today we need another revolution! We need a solutions revolution!"

Fresh off a bus boasting his 9-9-9 tax plan and his new "Solutions Revolution" tour, Cain's self-confidence was unwavering.

"This time it won't be about bombs and bullets. We are not going to fight it with bombs and bullets. We are going to fight this solutions revolution with brains and ballots at the ballot box," Cain told a handful of Republicans from around the country.

The Georgia-based businessman also ruled out another White House bid, at least during this cycle.

"No, I have not considered coming back into the race. Here's why, real simply, I chose to put family first," Cain explained, citing "lies that have been spun over and over" causing "tears in [his] wife's eyes."

Cain also used his moment in the spotlight to dispense personal advice to frontrunner Newt Gingrich, ahead of a television interview with the former speaker's second wife set to air this evening.

"The American people don't care. My recommendation to Speaker Gingrich is don't focus on it," he said, drawing on sexual allegations made against him during his candidacy.

Tomorrow, Cain will appear in Charleston again alongside comedian Stephen Colbert for a rally entitled “The Rock Me Like a Herman Cain: South Cain-olina Primary Rally.”

On a conference call this morning with more than 100 staffers and supporters, Herman Cain said that he will not endorse another Republican presidential candidate today, and that he has no plans to back anyone anytime soon.

"I am not endorsing anybody today or in the very immediate future," he said. "I can't say I won't endorse, but not in the immediate timeframe."

But Cain added that he would eventually endorse. "It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I have a process in mind that I'm going to go through in order to determine who I could possibly endorsement... It won't happen today. Most likely, it won't happen this week. They can calm down about that expectation."

Today's conference call -- to which NBC News listened after being tipped off by a source close to the campaign -- was the first time Cain addressed his full campaign team since the announcement on Saturday that he would suspend his campaign. The ex-Godfather's Pizza CEO was energetic and nostalgic throughout the call, and he remained defiant that the allegations against him (extramarital affair, sexual harassment) were all false. He described the "unrelenting" personal pain that the campaign had had on him and his family.

Cain also went into more detail about his much-anticipated talk with his wife on Friday evening, telling supporters that they arrived at the decision to leave the race together.

"The pain endured by my wife and my family was unrelenting," Cain said of the past few months on the campaign trail.

"My wife and I talked on Friday at home. It was honest and open; it was a great conversation. What went on in the conversation, that's between my wife and me. I was at peace with her and she was at peace with me. The sooner the media stopped spinning this crap ... the better."

But the candidate who has been criticized for running to sell books -- not win the presidency -- is not looking to shy from the spotlight.

"You will be hearing about my next plans," he said chuckling. "I am probably going to do another book. So what! I don't know what my plans are relatively to radio and TV, but remember I did radio and TV before running for office," he said.

Cain's plans for the next chapter of his career were quickly followed by an attempt to directly address accusations that he sought to promote his recently-published book while campaigning, or perhaps host a cable news television show in the future.

"That is not my motivation," he said. "I did not choose to run for the president of the United States to advance my own self.

Cain also used the call to ease his staffer's minds in the wake of them finding out just days ago that they had lost their jobs. Financially, he said his campaign aims to pay his staff through the end of December, "so you can at least have a Merry Christmas and not worry about whether not you're going to have a paycheck," he said. "I didn't want you to worry about what you were going to do over the holidays."

As Cain concluded his thoughts, he left his staff with a few reflections rife with nostalgia and self-congratulation.

"We went from 21% name ID to 99.9% name I.D., if you catch my drift" he said.

Cain relished the frequency of GOP debates, and credited them as the reason for his one-time surge in the polls. "I believe the debates propelled my candidacy and gave me a chance and people to get to know Herman Cain," he said. "That is historic for a non-politician. On the other hand, what it says is, 'How long is it going to be before the next non-politcian to do what I did, what happened to me?' This is just an open question. I think America is going to decide and make a choice at some point."

But, above all, Cain wanted his supporters to know that he did not run for president to advance his personal brand.

"If you look at the whole situation going back to where I started, I did not want to be president just for sake of being president. I wanted to be president so we can change from the inside," he said.

URBANDALE, IA -- The announcement by former Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain that he is suspending his run for president exactly one month before the Iowa caucuses drew wistful reactions today from top Iowa staffers and volunteers.

"The Cain train has been derailed today," Cain's Iowa Chairman Steve Grubbs told NBC News during an on-camera interview shortly after Cain's announcement, which was delivered from Atlanta, GA.

Grubbs, who joined the campaign right after Cain began his rise in the polls, said he was "disappointed" his candidate dropped out, but noted recent scandals took the presidential hopeful away from his message.

"Boy, what I would have given for a couple of drama-free weeks just to focus on message and organization," Grubbs said.

Cain received weeks of scrutiny over a possible extramarital affair and sexual-harassment allegations against him, though he denied the claims. The most recent allegation -- and, it seems final straw for his campaign -- came two weeks ago, when Ginger White accused the Georgia businessman of engaging in a 13-year affair with her. Cain said the two were merely friends and he helped her financially, although he later revealed to the media he never informed his wife of 43 years, Gloria, that he was helping White.

Neither Grubbs nor other Iowa campaign staff knew what Cain would say when he took the podium at what was billed as an event marking the opening of his Georgia headquarters.

"I'm the Iowa communications director for Iowa, but I know nothing," said Lisa Lockwood, a staffer in Cain's state headquarters here in Urbandale, shortly before the announcement.

Lockwood watched Cain's announcement stream in live on her laptop as a gaggle of reporters looked on. 

"I'm surprised, I'm disappointed," Lockwood said afterward, visibly choked up. "I think he's an awesome man, and I think he would have been awesome president."

Outside Lockwood's office, the headquarters had the feel of a campaign abruptly interrupted. Three-thousand yard signs had just been delivered to the office Tuesday night.

State director Larry Tuel said cubicles for phone banks had been installed only days ago.

"I like a fight, and I think Herman Cain does, too," Tuel said. "I wanted to stay in, because I think we could do well in Iowa.

One supporter, Patti Spencer Burdette, said she spent all day Friday delivering signs for the campaign. 

"We love him, and he loves us," Burdette said. "Were a family. And there's sadness in the family."

But outside his family of stalwart volunteers, support for Cain has dropped in Iowa since the allegations came to light. A new Des Moines Register Iowa poll shows Herman Cain polling at just 8% among likely caucus-goers. This is down from the 23% of support he received in the Register's October poll.

Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn told NBC News Cain's that withdrawal -- 30 days before the caucuses -- adds yet more uncertainty to a very fluid and crowded race.

"I think there is a huge opportunity for those Herman Cain supporters to find a home behind a candidate or two and give them momentum," Strawn said.

Several caucus-goers inside a restaurant near Cain's headquarters paid tribute to Cain Saturday, but added that during the past several weeks they had settled on a candidate: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

"He has an intelligent grasp of all the issues, and I perceive he is the most competent to lead this nation back into its prosperity," said James Sandin, a Des Moines resident, of Gingrich.

But Sandin added that he is a strong admirer of Cain. "He portrayed himself as a man of the people. A common man, a business man, not a politician," he said.  "He will be missed in the campaign."

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Speculation about the future of Herman Cain's presidential campaign will likely come to an end in less than
24 hours, the candidate told supporters during a town hall here this afternoon.

"Tomorrow in Atlanta, I will be making an announcement, but nobody's going to get me to make that announcement prematurely," said Cain."That's all there is to that.  So tomorrow  we're going to be opening our headquarters in Northwest Georgia where we will also clarify, there's that word again, clarify exactly what the next steps are."

The future of Cain's campaign has been watched closely since Tuesday, when he told senior staffers that he would "reassess" his bid for the presidency.  On the trail this week, the former Georgia businessman has remained defiant in speeches, but has been less reassuring that his campaign will continue when speaking to press. He's consistently said that the decision will be made by Cain and his family.

"My wife and family comes first. I got to take that into consideration. I don't doubt the support that I have," he said.

Cain is traveling to Atlanta where he will meet with his wife face-to-face for the first time since a Georgia woman claimed to have had a 13-year affair with Cain.

Earlier today, his campaign sent out an appeal to supporters asking to show their support to keep Cain in the race.  The the nearly 200 supporters gathered here enthusiastically cheered for the embattled presidential candidate, with one voter using the question and answer portion of the town hall to plead with Cain not to quit.

Asked by a reporter after the event if he would drop out, Cain said only that he needed to speak with his

Real estate mogul Donald Trump will host a debate for Republican presidential candidates in Iowa just days before the state's Jan. 3 caucuses.

Trump spokesman Michael Cohen confirmed the details of a New York Times report to NBC News: Trump, the star of the reality show "The Apprentice," will moderate a debate on Dec. 27 in Des Moines, Iowa. The debate is being sponsored by the conservative magazine Newsmax.

Cohen told NBC he had no list of confirmed candidates, and wasn't able to name the venue yet. He also stressed that it is not a "Donald Trump Debate," just that Trump would be moderating.

Still, the debate keeps with the outsized role Trump has played in the primary process since ruling out running himself for the GOP nomination. Most of the other candidates in the race have met with Trump, though, who has continued to opine on the race -- and even flirt with an independent bid for the presidency.

Alfredo Ortiz, a Georgia-based press secretary with the Herman Cain campaign, tells NBC News that Herman Cain will make a "major announcement" tomorrow in Atlanta at his new campaign office in DeKalb County.

Ortiz would not allude to the nature of the announcement other than to say it is a "major announcement."

Click here for a Herman Cain photo slideshow

Cain has been the subject of media scrutiny for weeks, sparked by an Oct. 31 story in Politico reporting that the National Restaurant Association had settled sexual harassment claims brought by two women.

On Nov. 28, an Atlanta woman, Ginger White, announced that she had engaged in a 13-year-long affair with Cain. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO acknowledged sending money to White, but insisted they were merely friends.

He told senior staffers on Tuesday that he was taking time to “reassess” his campaign.

The announcement follows the first planned face-to-face meeting between Cain and his wife, Gloria, since White came forward.

Cain's campaign has pushed forward with business-as-usual in the meanwhile, soliciting donations from supporters, and launching new efforts, such as "Women for Herman Cain," an initiative spearheaded by his wife.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Herman Cain said Thursday that he repeatedly gave money without his wife's knowledge to Ginger White, the Atlanta woman who alleged carrying on an affair with Cain for 13 years.

In an editorial interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO said Mrs. Cain "did not know that we were friends until [White] came out with this story" and he regrets not telling her sooner. Cain acknowledged sending White money for "month-to-month bills and expenses."

Cain said that White sent him about 70 text messages in which, he said, she seemed economically troubled. "She was out of work and had trouble paying her bills and I had known her as a friend," he said. Cain would not elaborate as to how much he gave her.

Cain justified his described behavior as nothing out of the ordinary, saying, "I'm a soft-hearted person when it comes to that stuff. I have helped members of my church. I have helped members of my family."

The newspaper interview had been rescheduled after a scheduling mishap last month that caused Cain to miss a meeting with the influential paper's editors. Since then, the paper endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the GOP presidential primary.

Both before and after his interview with the Union Leader today, Cain said that his campaign remains in a state of flux. He will move forward with a "reassessment" this weekend and make a final decision soon.

"I will say something formal over the next several days," he told reporters.

In campaign stops in Ohio and New Hampshire yesterday, Cain said he would be spending the next several days contemplating where his campaign goes from here.  Last night at his state headquarters in New Hampshire headquarters, he told reporters that no decision could be made until he has a face-to-face conversation with his wife.

And while Cain defiantly brushed off any notion he would end his bid for the presidency during campaign rallies yesterday, he was noticeably more measured when taking questions from reporters.

When asked by NBC News if will return to the Granite State, Cain was uncertain, "Well probably, yes. But remember the reassessment." Tonight, he gives a speech Tennessee. Cain will return to Atlanta Friday evening where  his wife resides.

WEST CHESTER, Ohio -- As Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" played after a Herman Cain campaign stop here this morning, the embattled presidential candidate told reporters that reassessing his campaign simply means "re-evaluating."

The Cain campaign has attempted to walk back comments made yesterday that indicated the former Georgia businessman was considering abandoning his bid for the White House. But speaking to a crowd of about 100 today, Cain remained defiant that he has no plans of dropping out any time soon.

"As you know, I have already been attacked,” Cain said. “Not because I have bad ideas, because the ideas are solid. They're attacking my character, my reputation and my name in order to try to bring me down. But you see, I don't believe that America is going to let that happen."

Of course, while the allegations of sexual misconduct and the latest accusation of an affair have consumed much of the coverage of his campaign, he also suffered a setback on substance, when he seemingly couldn’t think of an answer regarding his position on Libya. He has had several other missteps unrelated to the scandal.

Yesterday's news of Cain's consideration to leave the race came on the same day he was set to deliver a major foreign policy and national security speech in Michigan, an area where he has made several of those missteps. Cain picked up on the themes he hit on yesterday -- fostering U.S. military and economic might to develop friendships with other countries -- but like the previous night, his policies were overshadowed by a sex scandal and questions about the future of his campaign.

"With all of the mess going on over the past several weeks,” Cain said, “well, they've been trying to do a character assassination on me. Some of them even predicted that this room was going to be empty today. I don't think that I see any empty seats in here."

While working the rope line after the event, Cain cited a "groundswell" of support. Cain staffers say they have witnessed tremendous outreach from supporters urging the candidate not to leave the race.

But with the Iowa caucuses just over a month away, Cain's been have been moving down, not up, in recent polls.

HILLSDALE, MI -- Herman Cain brushed off a question about whether he plans to drop out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, returning to a familiar refrain: his "9-9-9" tax plan.

Ahead of a foreign policy speech planned this evening in Michigan, Cain dodged a question about whether he plans to abandon his presidential ambitions after having told staff this morning that he would spend the next two days reassessing his campaign.

"9-9-9. 9-9-9. We're doing fine," Cain told NBC News upon leaving his hotel at Hillsdale College for his speech on campus tonight.

Cain's campaign has downplayed the reassessment, framing it as a routine examination of the campaign's trajectory.

"Mr. Cain told staff simply that, just as every time significant events occur, a reassessment is prudent," deputy campaign manager Linda Hansen said this afternoon. "A good businessman looks at the entire landscape before making decisions. He is, and has been, committed to promoting the issues and solutions that will make this nation stronger. Nothing about that has changed."

Herman Cain told senior campaign staff members Tuesday that he's "reassessing" his campaign in the wake of a fresh allegation that he engaged in a 13-year-long extramarital affair.

Steve Grubbs, the candidate's Iowa campaign chairman, confirms to NBC News that Cain said he's taking a step back, much as he did after his finish in the Ames Straw Poll in August, to evaluate the direction of his campaign. The call included Cain's 50 state directors, and the reassessment will occur over the next two days.

This reassessment coincides with a new allegation from Ginger White, an Atlanta woman who says that she and Cain engaged in an affair for well over a decade, one that ended only recently. Cain has denied the affair.

Cain reiterated his claim, made yesterday in reaction to the new allegation, that White was simply a friend who he had sought to help financially, and that nothing inappropriate had happened between the two of them.

The former Godfather's Pizza CEO, who has faced a string of different allegations of sexual harassment, also said that he had no immediate plans to cancel his campaign events; he still intends to deliver a major foreign policy speech tonight in Michigan.

But Cain acknowledged the emotional toll that the claims against him had taken on his family. He said yesterday on CNN that he would stay in the campaign as long as his wife continued to believe he should stay in the race.

In the same interview, though, Cain opened the door to a possible exit from the race.

"It's just the way it is, but I'm not going to allow this sort of thing to cause me to drop out simply because it's tough on me. I don't want it to be tough on my family. And there comes a point that if it's tough on my family, I have to consider that at that particular point in time," he said.

Asked whether he would drop out if the race became too tough, Cain said: "I'll make that decision depending upon the circumstances and how it is impacting my wife and my family. That's my number one concern by all of these accusations."

SLIDESHOW: Herman Cain

***UPDATE*** Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon tells NBC News: "It's a reassessment of where we stand and the road ahead, similar to other times in the campaign's history. We're looking forward to getting back on message tonight with the Foreign Policy and National Security speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan."

NBC News

Mitt Romney mailer

From NBC’s Alex Moe

With 37 days until the Iowa caucus, the mailers in Iowa are out in full force. Voters in the Hawkeye State found literature from Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and Ron Paul in their mailboxes this weekend.

Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn tweeted earlier Saturday: “Final sprint to Jan. 3 #iacaucus begins. Today's mail at home included pieces from Cain, Paul & Romney. Plus a [Michele] Bachmann autodial.”

Romney’s Iowa campaign sent out at least two Iowa mailers (there are multiple versions being sent throughout the state but the campaign would not confirm how many) -- large postcards that seem to attack President Obama rather than any of Romney’s GOP rivals.

Romney, who visited the first-in-the-nation caucus state for the third time in roughly a month last Wednesday, seems to be pushing harder in the state. “It’s up to you, Iowa,” both of Romney’s pieces say.

One Romney postcard, which seems to be aimed at social conservatives, tells voters that Mitt Romney is “the strongest Republican to beat Barack Obama and protect our values.”

The campaign, which opened its official headquarters two weeks ago, was also filming an ad at Romney’s event in Eastern Iowa earlier this month.

NBC News

Ron Paul mailer

Paul’s mailer came in a large manila envelope. It was seven pages long, including a page asking for donations and a copy of his “Plan to Restore America.” He was critical of three GOP rivals in his letter to voters, as well: Rick Perry, Cain and Romney.

“Only one candidate for president will fully balance our budget within three years,” Paul starts in his letter.

Newt Gingrich, now leading in many polls nationally, has not sent out any campaign literature or run any paid advertisements in Iowa as of yet. He is scheduled back in the state Thursday.