October 20, 2011
by Adam Smith
Presidential candidate Herman Cain will campaign two days in Alabama this month, including a stop in Huntsville on Oct. 29.
Cain is slated to address the Alabama Federation of Republican Women at 7 p.m. at the Huntsville Marriott near the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
“We are excited that Mr. Cain … will speak at our biennial meeting,” said Elois Zeanah, president of the AFRW. “Mr. Cain has been in Alabama before, and we find him to be an exciting candidate.
The same group will host an event Oct. 28 featuring Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who gained national prominence after signing a tough illegal immigration bill into law in her state. Tickets for the Brewer event are $75, while tickets for the Cain event are $100.
Cain will campaign at other stops while in Alabama, including appearances in Talladega and Birmingham on Oct. 28. Prior to his Huntsville visit, he’ll address the West Alabama Republican Assembly at 10:30 a.m. in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama’s Republican primary will be held March 13.
The Georgia native and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza has been working to narrow the gap between himself and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, seen by many as the likely nominee.
Cain, however, has gained ground in recent days. In a poll released Tuesday by CNN, 51 percent of those polled felt Romney would win the presidential nomination, compared to 18 percent for Cain. But 34 percent of respondents found Cain to be the more likeable candidate, compared to 29 percent for Romney.
Cain was also the candidate respondents most agreed with at 26 percent, compared to Romney’s 21 percent. Cain was also viewed as the candidate most likely to get the economy moving at 33 percent compared to Romney at 26 percent.
Much of Cain’s message has been built on his 9-9-9 plan, which would replace the country’s existing tax code with a 9 percent individual income tax, 9 percent business tax and a 9 percent national sales tax.
Cain said Sunday that his signature 9-9-9 tax plan would lower taxes for most Americans, but conceded some middle-class-Americans might pay more.
In a report released Monday by the Citizens for Tax Justice, the group said his plan would cost 60 percent of taxpayers $2,000 more in annual taxes while reducing the amount of taxes on the nation’s wealthiest 1 percent by $210,000.
The group also said Cain’s plan would be more costly than the tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush and that were recently extended under President Obama.
“Under current law, the federal tax system in 2013 will therefore generate more revenue and will be more progressive, because the Bush tax cuts (which disproportionately benefit the wealthy) will have expired,” the CTJ said in its report. “In other words, the Cain plan would be even more costly and regressive compared to the tax rules that will go into effect in 2013.”
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.