After many months of "prayerful consideration," Herman Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza and the conservative host of a popular talk radio show in Georgia, has formed an exploratory committee to run for president as a Republican.
The announcement came on his website, where Cain wrote:
"The American Dream is under attack. In fact, a recent survey found 67% of the American People believe America is headed in the wrong direction. Sadly, this comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched an out-of-control federal government that spends recklessly, taxes too much and oversteps its Constitutional limits far too often."
Cain, an African-American Republican, holds a master's degree in computer science from Purdue University and was a corporate vice president for Burger King before running Godfather's Pizza. Previously, he served as chairman of the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City -- and was chairman of the board for the National Restaurant Association.
The announcement came on his website, where Cain wrote:
"The American Dream is under attack. In fact, a recent survey found 67% of the American People believe America is headed in the wrong direction. Sadly, this comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched an out-of-control federal government that spends recklessly, taxes too much and oversteps its Constitutional limits far too often."
Cain, an African-American Republican, holds a master's degree in computer science from Purdue University and was a corporate vice president for Burger King before running Godfather's Pizza. Previously, he served as chairman of the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City -- and was chairman of the board for the National Restaurant Association.
He has never been elected to public office, but he did briefly run for president in 2000.
In 2004, Cain ran for U.S. Senate in Georgia, coming in second place to then-Congressman Johnny Isakson in the Republican primary (many believe that had Cain forced a runoff, he would have defeated Isakson in a head-to-head match-up). During the campaign, Cain was criticized for having previously donated money to former Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, a Democrat.
Speaking of money, Cain's challenge will be to raise the kind of funds needed to run a serious presidential campaign. In prior conversations, Cain implied to me that he would not self-fund his campaign.
But though Cain has himself admitted that he would be a "dark horse" candidate, he will be greatly aided by the fact that he is a full-spectrum conservative with solid fiscal and social credentials. Christian conservatives love him, and The Club for Growth endorsed him for Senate in 2004. Cain is also close with fiscal conservative and two-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes. Depending on the field, there is great potential for him to rally conservative activists and bloggers to his cause.
For months now, Cain has been rumored to be seriously considering a presidential run. Perhaps not coincidentally, RedState's Erick Erickson recently announced the launch of a new radio show, "The Erick Erickson Show" on Atlanta's WBS radio -- a station which also broadcasts Cain's popular radio show.
In 2004, Cain ran for U.S. Senate in Georgia, coming in second place to then-Congressman Johnny Isakson in the Republican primary (many believe that had Cain forced a runoff, he would have defeated Isakson in a head-to-head match-up). During the campaign, Cain was criticized for having previously donated money to former Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, a Democrat.
Speaking of money, Cain's challenge will be to raise the kind of funds needed to run a serious presidential campaign. In prior conversations, Cain implied to me that he would not self-fund his campaign.
But though Cain has himself admitted that he would be a "dark horse" candidate, he will be greatly aided by the fact that he is a full-spectrum conservative with solid fiscal and social credentials. Christian conservatives love him, and The Club for Growth endorsed him for Senate in 2004. Cain is also close with fiscal conservative and two-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes. Depending on the field, there is great potential for him to rally conservative activists and bloggers to his cause.
For months now, Cain has been rumored to be seriously considering a presidential run. Perhaps not coincidentally, RedState's Erick Erickson recently announced the launch of a new radio show, "The Erick Erickson Show" on Atlanta's WBS radio -- a station which also broadcasts Cain's popular radio show.
