Pat Dollard

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Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ — Herman Cain’s image among Republicans is starting to get worse amid claims that he sexually harassed several women in the 1990s. His latest Positive Intensity Score, based on Oct. 24-Nov. 6 Gallup Daily tracking, is 25. However, across the two weeks that make up that average, his score was 29 in interviewing conducted Oct. 24-30, before the news broke, and 20 in the days since.

A USA Today/Gallup poll conducted this past weekend found most Republicans believing sexual harassment charges against Cain were probably untrue, and he remains a co-leader in national Republicans’ nomination preferences. Since then, on Monday, a fourth woman and the first to speak publicly, alleged that Cain sexually harassed her while he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Cain insists the charges are false.

While Cain’s position on the ballot suggests his campaign is not collapsing under the weight of the allegations, they are beginning to take a toll on his image. Cain’s Positive Intensity Score surged to a high of 34 a few weeks ago, but now is nearly 10 points lower. It is likely to decline further at least into the low 20s unless his score in this week’s interviewing rebounds to pre-allegation levels.

Cain, despite the decline, remains much more positively viewed than any other Republican candidate. Newt Gingrich, at 14, now has the second-highest image rating in the latest update, followed by Mitt Romney at 10; all other candidates are in single digits.

Implications

Cain emerged from relative obscurity earlier this year to reach the front of the GOP field, in terms of rank-and-file Republicans’ support and in image ratings. But that status is certainly tenuous as long as his personal conduct while head of the National Restaurant Association remains a major campaign topic.

The next week could be a pivotal one in the GOP nomination campaign. There are two Republican presidential candidate debates, and Cain will likely have to continue to respond to the sexual harassment allegations. Gallup will continue to monitor how Republicans view Cain, and whether he is able to remain one of the leaders in Republican nomination preferences even as the first official nomination contest, the Iowa caucuses, is less than two months away.