Herman Cain campaign is smokin' - with new cash
The Herman Cain campaign has raked in at least $3 million in October, says chief of staff Mark Block. That bests Cain's fundraising tally for the entire third quarter of 2011.
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain talk to a tea party group in Anniston, Ala. on Friday.
Bill Wilson/The Anniston Star/AP
Washington
Herman Cain may be an unconventional presidential candidate, but he鈥檚 proving a time-honored convention in politics: buzz brings cash.
Since the start of October, donors have given more than $3 million to the former CEO of Godfather鈥檚 Pizza, according to his chief of staff, Mark Block, speaking on CNN Thursday night. That鈥檚 more than the $2.8 million Mr. Cain brought in for the entire third quarter of 2011. Cain has also more than doubled his donor base since Oct. 1, from 30,000 people to more than 65,000, Mr. Block says.
鈥淪o we鈥檝e actually doubled in a little over a month,鈥� Block says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e seeing in our grass-roots activism growth and obviously in the YouTube thing."
Ah, the YouTube thing. After Cain himself, Block has become the face of the Cain campaign after appearing in a now-viral Web ad that features him 鈥� and his now-famous drag on a cigarette. Block says the ad has been seen by more than 3 million people, but a check of Cain鈥檚 YouTube page shows pageviews at just over 1 million. Maybe his sources are including all the free air time the ad has gotten on cable, such as on Stephen Colbert's show, where the sendup is even more entertaining than the ad itself.
Block also insists that Cain is 鈥渟erious about the early states鈥� 鈥� though, at the time of the interview, Cain was in Arkansas, which isn鈥檛 an early primary state the last time we checked.
鈥淲e have operations in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina and Florida, and other states,鈥� Block said. Later, he said the campaign has organizations in all 50 states. Cain has faced news reports describing a campaign in 鈥渃haos,鈥� with big staff turnover, missed fundraising opportunities, and scheduling snafus.
But never mind. CNN鈥檚 Erin Burnett got Block to talk about the most burning question surrounding the Cain campaign: What was that ad supposed to be, anyway?
Cain is a 鈥渕an of the people,鈥� Block replied. 鈥淜ind of like what I was talking about with the ad. It resonated with the VFW people in Iowa and other people across the country.鈥�
In making that ad, which was shot in Las Vegas and features Block simply making a pitch for Cain, he says he was told, 鈥渏ust let Block be Block.鈥�
鈥淟ike if you know what I tell Mr. Cain before he goes to a debate. I said, 鈥楬erman, just be Herman.鈥� And that's me,鈥� Block says.
鈥淚 mean, I don't condone smoking. I wouldn't encourage anybody to do it, but it's my choice. And it's kind of a joke on the campaign trail 鈥� especially with reporters now that try to find me. If they go outside of a hotel during a break, I'm usually there with my iPhone and a cup of coffee and a cigarette.鈥�
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