Herman Cain's accuser issued a statement this afternoon declaring she stands by the sexual harassment complaint she filed 15 years ago, but declined to divulge any more detail pertaining to the incident.
But, if Cain's made a misstep, it seems his constituents have missed the memo because he hasn't lost any ground with them. [See a slide show of who's in and out for the GOP in 2012.]
Since accusations of sexual harassment surfaced this week, Cain's remained a frontrunner, just one point behind Mitt Romney in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. During his speech at the Defending the American Dream Conference, he not only garnered support; he had voters on their feet.
Even as new allegations reported by the New York Times surface about a cozy relationship with the conservative Koch Brothers, Cain's taken it in stride, "Just so I can clarify this to the media, this may be a new announcement for the media: I am the Koch brothers' brother from another mother," Cain said during his speech. [Vote now: Who is your pick for the 2012 GOP nomination?]
The buzz at the conference wasn't supporters worried their candidate was failing them, but chatter about how now is the time to move on and talk about economic, not political issues.
"Have you ever met so many women named anonymous in your life?" Billie Tucker, a cofounder of the Jacksonville, Fla. tea party movement said. "This is a joke. We don't care out here in America about some allegation that happened 15 years ago. Stop it. We are sick of it."
Andrew Blackburn, an independent voter, says he can't believe how long the media has spent chronicling the harassment allegations. [See photos of 2012 GOP hopefuls on the campaign trail.]
"Look, Cain's got some interesting and important ideas I am more interested in hearing about," Blackburn says, "I am not so sure Cain isn't just riding the media wave and I want to see if he can last without this stuff." [Read: Recent Poll Reveals Cain Still On Top.]
At the end of the day, supporters like Robert Basmadjian are taken with Cain's confidence, his 9-9-9 plan and lack of political background more than they are worried about his foibles.
"I think he could have handled it better, but he's an inspiring candidate and that is what we are looking for," Basmadjian says.
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Galasso of SC 12:15AM November 06, 2011