Herman Cain,s sexual harassment scandal

Herman Cain's poll numbers dropped for the first time since revelations last week that he was accused of sexual harassment more than a decade ago, a poll released Sunday showed.


The poll, conducted by Ipsos for Thomson Reuters, showed the former pizza chain restaurant executive's favorability rating among Republicans fell to 57 percent from 66 percent a week earlier.


Herman Cain's favorability among all registered voters fell to 32 percent from 37 percent. The poll is the first national poll to show the scandal taking its toll on the candidate's ratings, though it should be noted that the poll was conducted online. Online polls are typically much less reliable than traditional telephone polls.


A Washington Post telephone poll conducted in the first four days after the revelations were made public Oct. 30 showed that Cain's support was still holding strong and had him virtually tied with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.


In the Ipsos online poll, Cain fell behind Romney, who garnered a 63 percent favorability rating among Republicans, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry took 47 percent.


Exhaustive media coverage of the charges of sexual harassment during Cain's tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s has boosted Cain's name recognition and helped him raise campaign cash from small donors.


His campaign said he raised $1.6 million in the first five days after the scandal broke.


And Cain says the ordeal has been harder on his wife than on himself, and he's still "in it to win it."


More than 80 percent of respondents have heard of the charges against Cain, according to the Ipsos for Thomson Reuters poll. About 88 percent of Republicans had heard of the charges, compared to just 64 percent of independents.


Two woman reportedly complained about Herman Cain’s conduct during his time as head of the restaurant association in Washington but have not revealed their identities. A third considered bringing a complaint but did not, the Associated Press reported last week.


The latest accuser surfaces at a time when Cain and his campaign are desperately -- and perhaps now futilely -- trying to change the subject. Cain grew testy with reporters after a campaign event with former House Speaker and fellow GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich over the weekend, refusing to answer questions about the allegations. His campaign manager has been sending out copies of the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics code in a bid to deter reporters from bringing them up.


And now there are some signs that the scandal is taking a political toll on Cain. An Ipsos/Reuters poll conducted online at the end of last week showed Cain’s favorability rating among Republicans dropping 9 points, from 66% to 57%, and his rating among all voters dropping from 37% to 32%. Perhaps more worrisome for Cain was that a full 80% of respondents said they knew about the harassment allegations. One in three Republicans said the accusations made them view Cain less favorably.


All about: Gloria Allred,  Herman Cain, Mitt Romney,  United States,  Paul Ryan,  Rick Perry,  Michele Bachmann,  Washington D.C.