Herman Cain 2012 presidential campaign
| Friends of Herman Cain | |
|---|---|
| File:Herman Cain logo.png | |
| Campaign | U.S. presidential election, 2012 |
| Candidate | Herman Cain Radio talk-show host Businessman Former U.S. Senate candidate |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Headquarters | Stockbridge, Georgia |
| Slogan | "Yes, We Cain!" |
| Website | |
| HermanCain.com | |
Radio host, businessman and former United States Senate candidate Herman Cain of Georgia began a movement for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States shortly following the 2010 midterm elections.
Although he was frequently mentioned as a possible candidate, Cain stopped short of a full-fledged candidacy before the beginning of the year. His entrance was tied to his public image, which characterized the candidate as "inexperienced,"[1] but a Washington outsider.
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 Elections Commission as an exploratory committee, under the header Friends of Herman Cain. Cain is a supporter of the Tea Party movement, and the gold standard.[2] He survived cancer in both his colon and his liver in 2006, and is currently cancer free.[3]
Early stages
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.[4] Following the New Year, Cain announced on January 12, 2011, on Your World with Neil Cavuto, that he had officially formed an exploratory committee, in order for him to travel and raise funds more effectively for a presidential run.[5]
2011 developments
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."[6] 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.[7] 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%). Ron Paul won the Summit's online poll.[8]
In March 2011, at a meeting in Des Moines, Iowa attended by a number of potential Republican Presidential candidates, after defending himself against accusations of racism, Cain provoked controversy when he specifically stated that he would be willing to discriminate on grounds of religion when appointing members to his Cabinet, saying he would refuse to consider candidates if they were Muslim, on the grounds that such a candidate may support Sharia Law. [9]
Excerpt from The Huffington Post:
-Talking to reporters afterwards, Cain also said he thinks the imposition of Islamic Sharia law is a legitimate threat in America and that he would not appoint any Muslims to any positions in his Cabinet if he were elected. “I will not. And here’s why. There is this creeping attempt, this attempt, to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government,” Cain said. “It does not belong in our government. This is what happened to Europe. And little by little, to try to be politically correct, they made this little change. They made this little change. And now they’ve got a social problem that they don’t know what to do with hardly.”
After the May 5, 2011 Fox News-sponsored presidential debate, the first of the campaign, Cain was declared the overwhelming winner by the focus group at the debate.[10]
References
- ^ Erickson, Erick (2011-01-12). "Herman Cain announces presidential exploratory committee". Red State. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "Herman Cain: Return To The Gold Standard". Forbes. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "First man in: Herman Cain announces presidential exploratory committee". Hot Air. 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "Herman Cain: 70% chance I'm running for President". The Right Scoop. 2010-12-19. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ Hananoki, Eric (2011-01-12). "After Months Of Fox News "Love," Herman Cain Announces 2012 Committee". Media Matters. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ Sabato, Larry J. (2011-01-20). "Presidential Possibilities: A First Line-Up for 2012". Sabato's Crystal Ball. University of Virginia Center for Politics.
- ^ Hunt, Kasie (2011-01-22). "Mitt Romney wins N.H. GOP straw poll". Politico.
- ^ Travis, Shannon (February 27, 2011). "Herman Cain wins Tea Party presidential live straw poll at Phoenix summit". political ticker…. CNN. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|separator=ignored (help) - ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/26/gop-iowa-steve-king-2012_n_840956.html
- ^ Frank Luntz (2011-05-05). Fox News http://elections.americablog.com/2011/05/vast-majority-of-fox-news-focus-group.html.
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External links
- Herman Cain presidential exploratory committee official campaign site