Former presidential candidate Herman Cain called Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) an "excellent choice" for vice president on Monday.
Conservative radio host Steve Gill asked Cain who he would recommend that GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney pick to be his VP. Cain spoke highly of West, a former Army lieutenant colonel.
"Colonel Allen West out of Florida," Cain said. "Here's why. He is well-spoken, he is direct, people in Florida love him, he has a huge following. He is from Florida. Florida is going to be one of those key states. But more importantly, Colonel Allen West is a dedicated patriot. He served in the military, and he is willing to serve his country some more."
Cain said he would advise West not to wait before seeking higher office.
"Now I know that there might be some push back on his part, because he's just in his first term as a United States congressman," he said. "But my advice to him, if he were to ask me, is, you've served your country well and now you have a higher calling. And I would strongly recommend that he consider it, depending on any personal considerations he might have."
The endorsement comes despite the much less positive advice West gave to Cain after a number of women accused Cain of sexual harassment and one, Ginger White, alleged that she and Cain had conducted an extramarital affair for 13 years.
“Beyond reassessing his campaign, he probably needs to understand that he is a distracter for what’s going on right now and we should move on,” West said last November. “That would be my advice to him.”
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has also suggested West would be a "good" pick for VP -- a statement she later downplayed.
West himself said last week that he would strongly consider serving if he were asked to do so.
"Yes, well, right now, you know, the focus is, of course, being a good congressional representative," he told CNN's Kyra Phillips. "But if someone were to make that call to me, which I really doubt is ever going to happen, you would have to make sure that it is something that god would ordain for you, and you'd have to talk to your wife, my wife and my two daughters about. But we have always stepped up to the plate to serve our country. And if it's the right fit, then I will do so."
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