Mrs. Herman Cain Goes Public as Support Drops Among Female Voters
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain’s wife, Gloria Cain, defended her husband publicly as women voters dropped support for the campaign, saying that her husband would “have to have a split personality” in order to carry out the sexual harassment claims of accuser Sharon Bialek.
In an interview with Fox News host Greta Van Susteren to air Monday night, Gloria Cain defends her husband against sexual harassment allegations, saying that her husband is not that type of man.
“You hear the graphic allegations, and we know that would have been something that’s totally disrespectful of her as a woman. And I know the type of person he is. He totally respects women,” Gloria Cain said according to an excerpt of the transcript.
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Gloria specifically said of Bialek’s allegations, “I’m thinking he would have to have a split personality to do the things that she said.”
Sexual claims against Herman Cain first surfaced late last month when Politico ran a news report alleging that “at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain.” As the allegations came to light, two more women reported being harassed by Herman Cain.
Bialek was the first of the four to publicly address the media. She told reporters that Cain put his hand under her skirt and attempted to grope her after she met with him at a restaurant. Cain, she said, also “grabbed my head and brought it towards his crotch.”
Bialek's boyfriend at the time is now scheduled to come forward Monday and publicaly corroborate her story.
Another accuser, Karen Kraushaar, told reporters through her lawyer that she hoped to come forward with the other alleged victims. However, the joint press conference has been postponed indefinitely.
Herman Cain and his staff attempted to explain away the complaints to the media. At the National Press Club, he told journalists that the complaints were found to be groundless and he had “never sexually harassed anyone.”
Although Cain initially received a boost from the allegations, the news of Bialek and Kraushaar’s allegations did not sit well with conservative women.
Penny Nance, president of the conservative women’s group Concerned Women for America, said Bailek’s “shocking” account gave her “pause” to support Cain. Nance called on Cain to “address these new allegations head on.”
Polls also show that he is not doing well among the nation’s female voters.
A new poll by The Hill shows that women, as well as Democrats and African Americans, are more likely to believe Cain's accusers about sexual harassment claims. A Friday CBS News poll also found that his support among women dropped from 28 percent last month to 15 percent this month.
To make matters worse, fewer women have donated to Cain’s campaign. Campaign finance watchdog Center for Responsive Politics reported that 25.1 percent of Cain’s campaign donors from January to September are female. The average percentage of female donors among the GOP candidates is 27.5 percent.
The top campaigns for female donations have been Barack Obama (over 40 percent), Rick Perry (over 30 percent) and Rick Santorum (over 30 percent).
Many news outlets began to look to Gloria Cain, his stay-at-home wife who is actively involved at their church, who had been silent for much of the campaign.
Cain told reporters that his wife was “disgusted with how the story has been twisted” and was “200 percent supportive” of him. But Gloria Cain then canceled a scheduled Nov. 5 appearance on Fox News, exciting suspicions.
In the in-depth interview with the Cain family, a mild-mannered Gloria finally broke her silence and defends her husband.
She also said that she is taking the campaign one day at a time rather than worrying about possible taking the White House with her husband.
“I don’t want to start projecting too far in the future because then I would worry more. So I try to take one day at a time, and in that way, if or when that happens, I have faith that the Lord will have me ready to do whatever I need to do that’s going to help him,” she shared.
The full interview will air Monday night.
