(Newser)
–
It’s not a hoax or a dream: Herman Cain really has surged to the upper echelon in GOP primary polls. Cain more than tripled his support in Gallup’s October poll, jumping from 5% in September to 18%, just a hair behind Mitt Romney’s 20%. Rick Perry, meanwhile, plummeted from 31% to 15%. The result is roughly in line with last week’s polls showing Cain’s surge. The rest of the candidates were all in the single digits.
The tumult is unusual for Republicans, who have historically (with the exception of John McCain in 2008) picked a frontrunner early and stuck with him, Gallup notes. And given that a whopping 20% of the field is still undecided, “the race may remain fluid for some time." Romney for one plainly isn’t worried by Cain’s rise—last night he told a crowd in New Hampshire that Cain was a “terrific guy” and that they should “give him a look,” Politico reports. “Vote for either one of us and you’ll be happy."
