The 2012 presidential campaign of Herman Cain, an American businessman and radio host, began shortly after the 2010 midterm elections. He ran for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States.
Although he was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate, Cain stopped short of a full-fledged candidacy before the beginning of 2011. Although he was characterized as a Washington outsider, as of October 19, 2011, polls showed him to be one of the front runners in the Republican primaries.Polls: Romney, Cain compete at top in key battleground states 2011/10/19
Cain spent a considerable amount of time campaigning throughout the early primary states (particularly Iowa and New Hampshire) for most of 2010. Nearly two weeks after the beginning of the year, Cain filed his organization with the Federal Election Commission as an exploratory committee, under the name Friends of Herman Cain. Cain was a supporter of the Tea Party movement. He was in favor of the gold standard.
Cain ran as a Washington outsider and became a front-runner in the race in the fall of 2011. However, Cain's support plummeted after several women alleged that he had engaged in sexual harassment or, in one case, a 13-year extramarital affair. Cain and his wife unequivocally said the accusations were false, but Cain, citing the toll the allegations had taken on his family and his political support, suspended his campaign on December 3, 2011.
The campaign
Exploratory committee Following the 2010 midterm elections, Cain announced his intentions to run for president in December 2010, stating that there is a 70% chance that he would attempt to seek the office. Following the New Year, Cain announced on January 12, 2011, in an interview with CNN that he had officially formed an exploratory committee.CNN: . January 12th, 2011. On the Fox Business program Your World with Neil Cavuto, Cain did an exclusive interview with Neil Cavuto, expanding on the announcement.Your World With Neil Cavuto, Fox Business, January 12, 2011. Video available on Herman Cain's YouTube channel.
Official announcement Cain formally announced his candidacy on May 21, 2011, in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, to a crowd of 15,000 cheering supporters.Sean Durity, , Yahoo! News, May 21, 2011.
Campaign progress
Dark horse
A January 2011 analysis of the Republican presidential field in Sabato's Crystal Ball placed Cain in the fourth tier of candidates, saying he was "a favorite among some activists [... with] a blunt, no-holds-barred style", but that he was limited by having had no elective experience and by "the perception that he is too far right to win a general election". The same month, Cain finished seventh out of twenty-one candidates in the New Hampshire Straw Poll, gaining four percent of the vote of a group of state Republican Party members. At this stage, Cain referred to himself as a "dark horse" when asked about a possible campaign. In February 2011, the Tea Party Patriots organized and hosted the American Policy Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The 1,600 attendees were polled regarding their preference for a 2012 presidential candidate. Cain won the poll with 22%. Runners up were Tim Pawlenty (16%), Ron Paul (15%), and Sarah Palin (10%).
Building momentum On May 5, 2011, Fox News presented a presidential campaign debate. Cain was one of five potential candidates who participated. (The others were Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Gary Johnson and Rick Santorum as the higher-profile candidates declined Fox's invitation.) Cain was declared the overwhelming winner by pollster Frank Luntz after a show of hands among 29 debate witnesses who were chosen by Fox to act as a post-performance focus group.
On June 3, 2011, an Insider-Advantage poll showed Cain leading the field of Republican primary candidates among Georgia Republicans. A July 2011 Zogby poll showed Cain in second place nationally, with 18% of the vote, behind Michele Bachmann and ahead of Romney.
Cain finished fifth in the Iowa Straw Poll on August 13, 2011, with 8.6% of the vote. Cain said he was satisfied with the result, writing in an email to supporters, "I have said from the beginning that I would not buy a straw poll victory. We worked hard. We organized. We turned our supporters out to the Straw Poll. While I did not place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, I am happy with our strong placing. I spent less money, had less name ID than the front runners, but our strong showing is evidence of the deep support for a non-politician problem solver who has the courage and conviction to change the way things work in Washington. I beat better known, better funded politicians...including those who have held titles like Governor and Speaker of the House."
Top-tier As a follow-up to a September 22, 2011, debate performance in Orlando, Florida, Cain won the September 24 Florida GOP Presidency 5 Straw Poll with 37% of the votes cast by Republican party activists in attendance; Cain's nearest competitor was Rick Perry, who garnered the support of 15% of attendees at the event. A national interactive opinion survey released in September 2011 by IBOPE Zogby International showed Cain with a ten-point lead against the nearest competitor, Rick Perry, among likely 2012 Republican primary voters. "A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds that Obama earns 39% support while Cain attracts 34%". Rassmussen went on to say, "In a match-up against President Obama, just 61% of Republicans are ready to vote for Cain. Eighteen percent (18%) would prefer a third option and 11% are not sure. Among unaffiliated voters, 33% prefer Cain, 31% Obama, and 36% aren't ready to commit to either candidate."
Front-runner On September 24, 2011, Cain won a surprise victory in a Republican presidential straw poll in Florida, with 37 percent of the 2,657 votes cast. The front-runner Rick Perry, who had been leading in the polls, came in second with 15 percent. Continuing with his success, on October 1, 2011, Cain won the TeaCon Midwest straw poll by a landslide with 77% of the vote. Cain also won the National Federation of Republican Women straw poll by a wide margin with 48.9%. The nearest contender was Rick Perry with 14.1%, followed closely by Mitt Romney with 13.3% and Newt Gingrich with 12.5%. Of the delegates voting, 80% said they were satisfied with the field of candidates; asked whether they identified with the Tea Party, about half said yes and half said no. A Fox News poll administered on October 23–25, showed Cain as the front-runner receiving 24%, and Mitt Romney coming in at second place with 20%."Fox News Poll: GOP Primary Voters Get on the Cain Train". October 26, 2011.
Loss of momentum Cain's polling numbers declined in November 2011 amidst allegations of past sexual misconduct with female employees. Doubts about Cain as a potential commander-in-chief also increased following a videotaped interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board, in which Cain appeared to be unacquainted with U.S. policy toward Libya.Karen Tumulty and Sandhya Somashekhar, Herman Cain nearing decision on candidacy The Washington Post, December 2, 2011 In mid-November, a poll by The Washington Post and ABC showed a 19% increase in Republicans who hold a negative impression of Cain. A national poll conducted by CNN and ORC International showed Cain falling 11% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, as compared to the previous month. This poll put Romney at 24%, Gingrich at 22% and Cain at 14%.
Campaign suspension Cain suspended his campaign on December 3, 2011, though briefly revived it in conjunction with Stephen Colbert's satirical presidential campaign, when the comedian discovered there were no write-ins permitted in the South Carolina primary, and he needed a substitute. Cain received over six thousand votes and then endorsed Newt Gingrich before the Florida primary. During his resignation speech, he was quoted as saying "Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible, it's never easy when there's so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference. There's a mission just for you and me. Just look inside and you will find just what you can do", which turned out to be a quote from the Donna Summer song "The Power of One" from the 2000 film Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Controversies
Legality of campaign funding On October 30, 2011, allegations surfaced that the Cain campaign may have been illegally funded by Mark Block's Prosperity USA.Bice, Daniel (October 30, 2011). "State firm's cash to Herman Cain may breach federal campaign, tax laws". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.Benjamin, Mark (November 1, 2011). "The Other Cain Scandal: Campaign Transactions May Have Broken Federal Law". Time. As a tax-exempt charity, Prosperity USA is not allowed to donate money or services to a political campaign.Eggen, Dan (October 31, 2011). "Herman Cain campaign's financial ties to Wisconsin charity questioned". The Washington Post.
Prosperity USA was funded through Americans for Prosperity (AFP), which has previously employed both Cain and Block."Long ties to Koch brothers key to Herman Cain's campaign". Boston Herald. Associated Press. October 17, 2011.Confessore, Nicholas (November 2, 2011). "Cain to Review Links to a Nonprofit". The New York Times.
On October 31, 2011, Block denied that the Koch family had funded the Cain campaign.Geiger, Kim (October 31, 2011). "Herman Cain's ties to Wisconsin nonprofit raise legal questions". Los Angeles Times.
Sexual harassment allegations
In October 2011, Politico reported that two female employees had complained about inappropriate behavior by Cain during his tenure at the National Restaurant Association. The women reportedly accepted financial settlements from the association which barred them from discussing their allegations further. Cain's campaign initially refused comment, but subsequently acknowledged that the accusations had been made. Cain strongly denied any impropriety, stating: "I have never sexually harassed anyone and those accusations are totally false." He initially denied being aware of any financial settlement with the accusers, but later accepted that some form of payment had been made by the Restaurant Association.Lexington ( November 5, 2011). "Sex and Pizzas". The Economist. Retrieved November 7, 2011. He described the allegations as a "witch hunt".
The Cain campaign hired attorney L. Lin Wood to head a team responding to the allegations. Wood warned that any other women coming forward with allegations would face intense scrutiny and might also be subject to legal action, but said he did not intend to scare anyone away from doing so.Cain's Lawyer on Accusing: 'Think Twice' By Jim Rutenberg November 9, 2011 New York Times
On November 3, 2011, it was reported that a third woman had stated that Cain had commented on her attractiveness and invited her up to his corporate apartment."Third woman claims inappropriate behaviour from Cain". BBC News. November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
On November 8, 2011, one of the first two women to accuse Cain was identified as Karen Kraushaar, currently employed at the US Treasury Department. According to Cain, one of the specific allegations was making a gesture indicating his wife's height by holding his palm flat, which one of the accusers found objectionable. Joel Bennett, the lawyer representing Kraushaar, called Cain's version of events "goofy", stating that his "client would never have filed a complaint of sexual harassment on the basis that she was the same height as his wife. It is ridiculous." Bennett would not describe the complaint, but said he might in the future.MacAskill, Ewen (November 9, 2011). "Herman Cain defence 'goofy', says sexual harassment lawyer". The Guardian (London). Retrieved November 19, 2011.