TAMPA, Fla. -- The problem with Washington is that it is not using the freshest ingredients, according to one former Republican presidential hopeful.

Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza who led the GOP primary for a time last fall, fired up a crowd of Tea Party supporters at megachurch here Sunday night at the TeaParty.net Unity rally.  And though none of the speakers gathered here will appear on stage during the Republican National Convention, the rally was meant to be a show of force of their impact on this year's election.

"The way you make the best pizza, like Godfather's Pizza, you use the best ingredients," Cain told reporters after his speech. "You use the best beef, the best pepperoni, the best sausage, the best cheeses, the best dough. In the United States of America, we don't have the best ingredients in Washington D.C."

Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images

Former candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 US presidential election Herman Caine speaks at a Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention.

Though the event was held at The River Church, the focus was more so on the importance of Tea Party principles than it was on faith.

Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann, who also ran for president, addressed the more than 500 attendees as did conservative radio host Neal Boortz and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who spoke on behalf of Mitt Romney.

"We are not an unwanted, second class political party.  We are the conscious of the United States Constitution, and we don't apologize for that," Bachmann told the enthusiastic crowd.  She said the tea party influence can be seen in the Republican party's draft platform, which includes a call to audit the Federal Reserve and strictly prohibiting abortion.

But it was Cain who was the headliner and who received the loudest reception.  Despite leading the Republican presidential primary for much of October, the former businessman said he is not disappointed about his absence from the the list of speakers at the RNC.  He told the crowd that his goals have not changed since his run for office, stating, “I’m still on a mission to defeat Barack Obama!”

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Cain was quick to voice his praise for Romney's choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. "He didn't make the safe choice, he made the bold choice," Cain said after his speech.

He also defended the presumptive GOP nominee over a recent joke he made in his home state of Michigan, where, touting his hometown roots, Romney quipped, "No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate."

"I just think it was a good joke.  I dont think he was trying to bring up the birther issue.  hey, cut the man some slack, he's running for president.  he can crack a joke every once in a while," Cain said.

WASHINGTON -- In a last-minute press conference outside the Capitol Hill Club here, Herman Cain made his third endorsement of this political cycle -- this time announcing his support for the presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.

Flanked by Tea Party Congress members Michele Bachmann and Steve King, the one-time presidential front-runner -- remember that? -- cited a need for unity as the reason he chose to back Romney today. 

After leaving the race on Dec. 3, 2011, he first endorsed "we the people"; then Newt Gingrich; and now Romney.

"Let's say my endorsement evolved. And if the president can use that word, I can too," Cain told NBC News after the press conference, a reference to President Obama last week saying his views on gay marriage have evolved. "It's a process, so you make different decisions as the process converges."

Cain said he spoke to members of Romney's staff, whom he described as "ecstatic" to learn of his endorsement. But there are no clear plans for how the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza could help Romney going forward.  "We had already been talking about the role that I could best play in his campaign. One is surrogate speaking, which I’ve already been doing," he said.

Cain left the presidential race under a cloud of controversy after reports that multiple women complained he had sexually harassed them when he was head of the National Restaurant Association. As his campaign continued, so did the number of women who claimed to have been harassed by Cain. The final straw came when an Atlanta woman went public to say she had an affair with Cain that lasted more than a decade. The former candidate said the spotlight had taken a toll on his family that caused him to exit the race one month before the Iowa caucus.

Since leaving the race, Cain has stumped for Gingrich and promoted his new advocacy group "Cain Solutions," which advocates for Tea Party candidates and legislation.

Cain was in Washington to participate in a Tea Party panel discussion on Capitol Hill. Bachmann, also a former presidential candidate and founder of the Tea Party caucus in the House of Representatives, recently endorsed Romney as a sign of support from the most conservative portion of the Republican Party.

It is the part of the base that Romney has had the most trouble with, because of concerns about his past views on the issues of spending and government-mandated health care.

"What Gov. Romney did in Massachusetts, I does [sic] not care," said Cain in response to a question over whether he is concerned that Romney's past positions conflict with Tea Party ideals.

Cain's sexual-harassment troubles would make a public appearance with Romney unlikely, but he did say he would be open to position in a possible Romney administration. And when it comes to a vice presidential pick, Rep. Allen West's straight-talking style and Rep. Paul Ryan's reputation as a "budget guru" top Cain's list, he said.

"It needs to be someone who brings some instant credibility and some instant excitement to the ticket... You don't have time to pick a candidate that you need to establish name ID, they need to have immediate name ID."

"Romney-Cain does have a ring to it...but I don't have stars in my eyes or this little voice in the back of my head saying 'You want to be vice president,'" he said. "No, I want to help save America, and I don't need to be president or vice president to do that."

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.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Wild applause for talk of "gutter politics," flat taxes, and "stupid people who are ruining America."

Time to party like it's 9-9-9.

Former presidential candidate and current rock-star-reception recipient Herman Cain addressed a packed hotel ballroom at the conservative CPAC conference Thursday, encouraging the audience to back his famed 9-9-9 plan and explaining his rationale for exiting the 2012 contest.

"There were two reasons I dropped out of the race," Cain said. "Gutter politics. And, No. 2, I chose to put family first."

Invoking the biblical tale of the underdog, Cain added: "And in making that decision, I knew that we together could change Washington, DC from the outside and from the bottom up, even if your David didn't make it to the White House."

Cain later said that he did not regret his decision, one that came after weeks of scrutiny for accusations of sexual harassment from numerous alleged victims, because "there is more than one way to skin a cat."

The onetime pizza executive mainly used his remarks to plug his 9-9-9 tax plan, urging conservatives to get federal candidates to "adopt" the idea before winning office.

And he touted his support for one such candidate, "Joe the Plumber," who is running for Congress in Ohio this cycle.

Cain, like earlier CPAC speaker Rick Perry, did not mention Newt Gingrich, the candidate whom both former candidates endorsed after exiting the race.

But he did repeat one of his most popular refrains from his brief tenure as a presidential front-runner.

"We need another revolution in this country! It won't be bombs and bullets, not this time. It will be brains and balance at the ballot box."

"We must outsmart the liberals! We must outsmart the stupid people who are trying to ruin America!" Cain said to raucous cheers. "We outnumber the stupid people. Trust me. I counted em!"

And he promised to stay in the spotlight.

"A lot of people thought that after the character assassination that was launched against me, that Herman was going to shut up and sit down and go away," he said. "Ain't gonna happen."

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- It might have been South Carolina's largest political rally of the 2012 primary season, packed with more than 3,000 people, but with neither of the headlining guests actually a candidate for office.

Comedian Stephen Colbert brought his mock presidential campaign -- for president of the United States of South Carolina -- to his hometown of Charleston to ask voters to support former candidate Herman Cain.

"I want you to vote for Herman Cain because Herman Cain is me," Colbert told a cheering crowd at the College of Charleston. He urged voters to back Cain, whose name is still on Saturday's primary ballot, because South Carolina does not allow write-in candidates.

"We both flout convention when it comes to thinks like taxes and debt and how many '-Bekis' there are in Uz-Beki-Beki-Beki-Stan-Stan," Colbert said as the crowd roared. "I say three, Herman says four. National Geographic is working on it."

Cain eagerly shared the spotlight with Colbert but at times seemed like he didn't understand that the rally was a ruse, telling the audience that he disagreed with the comedian-in-chief on whom South Carolinians should vote for on Saturday.

“Now Stephen Colbert asked you to vote for Herman Cain. I am going to ask you to not vote for Herman Cain and here's why: I don't want you to waste your vote,” Cain said in a serious tone. “I don't want you to waste your vote because one of the things a lot of people failed to really appreciate is that every vote counts. Every vote counts and your vote still matters and you still matter.”

Thus went the dynamic of the massive rally: a wide-eyed, sarcastic Colbert poking fun at a willing but rather serious Cain, who was angling for one last stand. While it was clear that Colbert was mocking campaigns, candidates, campaign finance and ballot access, Cain seemed, at several points, not exactly in on the joke as he repurposed old lines from his presidential stump speech.

Taking full advantage of his captive audience, Cain advertised his new website and 9-9-9 tax plan, then encouraged voters to mobilize for change.

"The way you change [government] from the outside is you become a part of this massive movement that's going on in this country,” Cain said, to a scattered applause. “We have got to change Washington from the outside and it starts with you and every other college campus in America.”

When Cain implored students to “stay inspired,” an audible groan rippled through the audience.

It wasn’t long, however, before Colbert lured Cain back into his web of hilarity, reminding him that a Palmetto State victory is indeed still possible, citing some famous defeats through history.

"Just because you lose, that doesn't mean you surrender,” Colbert told Cain. “Did Napoleon surrender at Waterloo? Did Custer surrender at Little Big Horn? Did Robert E. Lee surrender at Appomattox? Hell no!"

Colbert also seized on super PACs, telling the crowd he “celebrated” the organizations. Super PACs may accept unlimited campaign donations from corporations and individuals, and have operated in support of presidential candidates, although they are legally barred from coordinating with candidates directly.

Playing on the names of major super PACs this season, Colbert joyfully ripped the organizations.

"We had finally arrived at an American Crossroads to Restore our Future Priorities USA and Make Us Great Again. Because Freedom Works. And once upon a time I even had one, Colbert Super PAC,” he said wistfully.

"I had to give up my super PAC just because I formed an exploratory committee to be the president of the United States of South Carolina,” Colbert explained. “Giving up that Super PAC wasn't easy. It was like giving up my baby. Do you know how hard that is?"

"Now imagine that baby had a whole lot of money," he continued. "Imagine how much harder that would be because, God willing, you'll get that baby back, but it might not have all the money so why would you love it?"

Basking in crowds larger than even his biggest rallies as a candidate, Cain happily maintained his swagger, serenading the audience in a solo before executing a rousing duet of “This Little Light of Mine” with Colbert, complete with a backup gospel choir.

The rock show-like atmosphere was one that would make any actual presidential candidate jealous. But it's unclear what, if any, effect the rally will have on Saturday's primary vote. Most of the audience was comprised of students at the College of Charleston, many of whom hail from out of state.

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.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said he campaign has been inundated by former supporters of Herman Cain looking to join the Bachmann team.

Bachmann wouldn't estimate how many Cain fans had jumped to support her effort, but said "our phone has been ringing off the hook."

“I just want to say how grateful I am and our campaign is for all of the people who are calling our campaign offices who were formerly Herman Cain supporters,” Bachmann said before an event in Myrtle Beach where she signed copies of her book, “Core of Conviction.”

Cain, a once-popular presidential candidates among GOP primary voters, announced Saturday that he was suspending his campaign amidst the damage a string of alleged instances of sexual harassment and an affair had done to his campaign. Rival Republican candidates have scrambled to court Cain voters in the meanwhile.

Bachmann held six book signings during a three-day swing through South Carolina.

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."

Herman Cain today said he was "suspending" his campaign -- a distinction that is a political one rather than a legal one, says Michael Toner, a prominent Republican election lawyer and former Federal Election Commission chairman.

"It gives you more flexibility politically" and "political cover to get back in the race," if a candidate chooses to do so, Toner said. "It gives you more wiggle room."

By not officially terminating his campaign, a candidate can continue to raise money to retire debt. But a candidate would not be ALLOWED to terminate unless they paid off their obligations and debts.

For example, Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign has never been terminated, because she still owes outstanding debts and obligations. She, too, "suspended" her campaign.

There is nothing a candidate would file with the FEC to say they are "suspending" their campaign, Toner said, and it would take months for them to officially "terminate" it, because of those debts and obligations, anyway.

*** UPDATE *** For those asking about ballot access and public financing...

Cain will likely remain on ballots for which he has already qualified, but it all depends on state law, another election lawyer said.

And, hypothetically, a candidate would also continue to be eligible for public financing -- if he applied for it. It's unlikely that Cain applied for those funds, as he's made no public comments about it.

It's also possible -- again, hypothetically -- depending on how state laws are written, that a secretary of state could interpret Cain's announcement today as withdrawing from the race and that he is no longer to be included on a ballot.

More likely, however, short of official "termination," which could take months because of debts and obligations owed (a campaign can't be terminated if it has them), then Cain's name would remain on whatever ballots he's already on.

A candidate has to apply to the FEC to "terminate" a campaign. There is no legal distinction for "suspending" a campaign. In other words, Cain has declared he will no longer be an active candidate -- signifcant politically -- but, technically, he is still one in the eyes of federal law.

And on public funding, technically if a candidate applied for public financing, then his campaign would still receive that money -- unless his campaign was "terminated."

*** UPDATE 2 *** Cleta Mitchell, another GOP election lawyer who works with candidates and committees, said, "I think this particular campaign has used that term as a 'soft landing' exit rather than the more dramatic statement of 'terminating.'

"There was a point in time when presidential candidates accepting federal matching funds would use the term 'suspend,' so they could still receive their federal matching funds after their campaigns had ended. However, Herman Cain isn't (to my knowledge) receiving the federal matching funds for the primary. So I think it is essentially in this instance a euphemism for ending his campaign and had no legal impact."