Birthdate: Dec. 13, 1945
Birth Place: Memphis, TN, United States
Residence: Stockbridge, GA
Religion: Baptist
Gender: Male

Candidacy

Education

Profile

EDITOR'S NOTE _ Herman Cain suspended his campaign on Dec. 3, 2011 over allegations of an affair and sexual harassment.

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Herman Cain is carving out an unorthodox _ and some say impossible _ path to the White House.

Cain said his tax-cutting, pro-business philosophy will power the U.S. economy and put unemployed people back to work. The Georgia businessman and former chief executive of the Godfather's Pizza chain has gained attention as he pursues the Republican presidential nomination with his ambitious tax plan _ the centerpiece of his campaign _ and feverish efforts to denounce multiple accusations of sexual harassment by his former employees.

Cain has gained both praise and criticism from the American people and his rivals over his catchy "9-9-9" tax overhaul plan that would replace the current tax code with a 9 percent tax on personal income and corporations, and a 9 percent national sales tax.

The son of a chauffeur and a maid, Cain has struck a chord with the Republican electorate who crave a fresh face not tied to the party establishment. The straight-talking political outsider has never held elected office, having lost a 2004 Republican primary for the Senate in Georgia. He has spent years in conservative circles as a talk radio host and inspirational speaker at events.

Cain, with deep roots in the South, is a longtime member and an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta, which was founded by freed slaves and now claims 14,000 members.

Cain has not followed the traditional strategy of a White House contender. He chose not to focus on appearances in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire but embarked on a two-week book tour to promote "This Is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House." The rags-to-riches political memoir was among Amazon.com's top 10 best-sellers.

In 1994, as chief executive of the National Restaurant Association, Cain spoke with then-President Bill Clinton during a nationally televised town hall meeting where he challenged the president's health care overhaul proposal and its impact on businesses. Cain, who was vocally skeptical that the legislation would harm American business owners and their employees, claims on his official website, that Newsweek named him the primary saboteur of Hillary Clinton's proposed health care overhaul.

Cain has also had his share of stumbles. He had to apologize to Muslim leaders for saying communities have a right to ban mosques because Muslims are trying to inject Shariah law into the U.S. and that he would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in his administration. He also apologized for referring to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as "Princess Nancy" during a debate and jokingly responding to a reporter's question about Anita Hill, who famously accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.

His biggest downfall is multiple allegations of sexual harassment by former employees while he headed the restaurant association, and an Atlanta businesswoman's claim that she and Cain had a 13-year affair. Cain has continuously denied the allegations and tried to refocus the attention on his platform including his tax plan, scaling back on federal government regulations and repealing the comprehensive health care overhaul.