Cain PAC Reconsiders Its Mission After the CEO Drops Out
Days after former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain suspended his 2012 campaign for the presidency his super PAC is considering funneling funds to other GOP candidates still in the race.
The 9-9-9 Fund’s campaign director, Jordon Gehrke, told Politico that it is making plans to stay relevant in the 2012 race for the White House despite the loss of the candidate for whom their political action committee was once named.
“This all just happened. So we’re making calls. Our plan is to stay active, but we want to do that in conjunction with our donors,” Gehrke told the publication.
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Because the 9-9-9 Fund, formerly Americans for Herman Cain, is a super PAC it can raise unlimited funds from donors without disclosing donors’ names or dollars raised until end of the year reports.
Cain officially suspended his campaign in a Saturday press conference outside of his Atlanta headquarters. The campaign closure came amid various accusations of sexual harassment and of an extramarital affair. Cain said the media coverage of the accusations had taken their toll on his family –particularly his wife, Gloria. Though he reported they were “at peace” with each other, he announced he planned to now pursue change from outside of the political race.
Cain raised $5.34 million during his campaign, according to research conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics. Federal campaign laws prohibit him from using those funds for personal expenditures. He can donate the funds to charity or another candidate or super PAC.
However, he seems to be interested in saving those dollars and putting future endeavors to work. In emails to campaign supporters, Cain said he hopes to “advocate for solutions that work” through a new website, TheCainSolutions.com, and possibly a new PAC.
The 9-9-9 Fund spent $418,445 to help the Atlanta candidate and may very well decide to follow him in his upcoming ventures.
Gehrke has not ruled out this possibility, but also said the PAC also wants to help elect a conservative to the White House.
The 9-9-9 PAC can follow the footsteps of the Draft Herman Cain PAC. The PAC which spent $43,773 to boost Cain abandoned him in late November in favor of a broader mission. Now the Beat Obama PAC, it has positioned itself to impact the greater GOP nominee race as well as the 2012 general election.
It’s possible the 9-9-9 Fund will fund new front-runner Newt Gingrich. The former speaker has surpassed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney nationally by as much as 4 percentage points in some polls. A recent Iowa poll revealed that Iowans also prefer him to Romney, 33 percent to 18 percent.
Conservative super PACs raised $35 million in the 2010 mid-term elections.
