With Herman Cain’s star likely dimming fast after today’s press conference and the circus-style coverage sure to follow, the big question is who’s going to be the next Herman Cain — that is, the next not-Romney candidate to challenge Mitt Romney for the nomination.
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Today’s Gallup poll of the GOP field is a national poll, which means it’s mostly useless, since Republicans don’t nominate their candidate based on a national vote. But it does give some impression of where sentiments lie, and whether a Reagan is likely to emerge.
So you see that Ron Paul is roughly where he always has been. Rick Perry still plummeting from his highs in mid-August. Michele Bachmann is still on a downward trajectory since her victory in the Ames straw poll. Santorum and Huntsman going nowhere.
That leaves Newt Gingrich oddly positioned to benefit from Cain’s coming implosion. Will Republicans unite around him?
Another poll, commissioned by the 999 Fund (a Cain-backing SuperPAC), was supposed to be released today showing Cain’s viability among GOP caucus-goers in Iowa. Have a look at the numbers:
Cain 20%
Romney 20%
Gingrich 16%
Bachmann 6%
Paul 6%
Perry 4%
Santorum 4%
Huntsman 2%
Undecided 23%
