Herman Cain’s campaign may draw its support from the same Tea Party well as Rick Perry, but the Georgia businessman says he would not back Perry’s presidential campaign if he dropped out.
“Today, I could not support Rick Perry as the nominee for a host of reasons,” Cain told CNN on Wednesday, singling out Perry’s much-maligned (among Republicans) law granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. “I happen to think that puts the children of illegals ahead of citizens,” Cain said.
But Cain had a much higher opinion of Romney, saying that as long as the Massachusetts governor stuck to his pledge to repeal President Obama’s health care law, the two of them were on the same page. Previously, Cain has said he didn’t believe Romney can win the nomination, however, thanks to his Mormon faith.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t bother me, but I do know that it’s an issue with a lot of southerners,” Cain told the Washington Times in July. “You don’t win South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, you can’t with the nomination, and then you can’t win the presidency.”
Romney has gone out of his way to praise Cain in recent months, so maybe the warm words are finally paying off.
“Understanding how the economy works by having worked in the real economy is finally essential in the White House. And I hope people recognize that,” Romney told reporters in NH last month. “I respect the other people in this race, but I think the only other person who has that kind of extensive private sector experience besides me in the Republican race is Herman Cain.”
