Concerned Women for America, the right-leaning women’s group, is calling on Herman Cain to say whether he faced complaints about his personal behavior from female employees at the National Restaurant Association who later left the organization with financial settlements. 
 
 CWA president Penny Nance told POLITICO: “I think Herman Cain needs to directly answer the question.” 
 
 “Early in my career I resigned from a trade association for the exact same reason and with no financial settlement. I simply found another job,” Nance said. “Therefore, I know in a very personal way that sexual harassment exists and that it's demeaning and painful. It should never be tolerated in the workforce and certainly not the White House.” 
 
 She continued, though, saying the report of sexually suggestive behavior toward women was not “consistent with my experience with Herman Cain.” 
 
 “I have to say in all fairness that this characterization is completely contrary to the Herman Cain I know. Herman Cain has only been 100% respectful and deferential to me. I have never heard other women in conservative political circles complain of his behavior and they would complain loudly,” Nance said. “Our character and reputations are really all we have at the end of the day. Before I besmirch Herman Cain's I would need more than this.” 
 
 POLITICO reported Sunday night that Cain was accused of inappropriate behavior by multiple employees at the National Restaurant Association; the trade group reached financial settlements with several women who also left their jobs. 
 
 The biggest question for Cain, as the week begins, is whether he will be able to rally the GOP base to his defense or whether his staunchest supporters will abandon him in the wake of the allegations. And that, in turn, probably depends on whether Cain can definitively address the charges and give the answers conservatives like Nance are looking for. 
 
 Former White House press secretary Dana Perino increased the pressure on Cain in a morning appearance on “Fox and Friends.” The George W. Bush administration alum said the Cain campaign’s equivocal answers about whether there had been settlements with NRA employees would not “be enough, for Herman Cain.” 
 
 “Cain … will have to stand on his own two feet for the rest of the week,” she said. “Herman Cain has to have a better answer to the type of question that Geraldo asked when he goes on TV later today.” 

 MICHELE BACHMANN 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 22 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 8 percent 
 
 Bachmann lands in fourth place — a 14-point tumble since June. 
 
 The U.S. representative from Minnesota, 55, campaigns in churches and pitches herself as a child of Christ, but even voters who identify themselves as born-again Christians aren’t going her way. Among that key caucus constituency, 11 percent pick Bachmann as their first choice. (Herman Cain is at 26 percent.) And she’s the second choice of only 6 percent, the new poll shows. 
 
 Bachmann claims this is the year conservatives don’t have to compromise by nominating a more moderate candidate. More likely caucusgoers agree with her than not. But among that group, she ties for third with Ron Paul at 10 percent. 
 
 And her history of founding the tea party caucus in Congress gets her a little mileage. Among tea party supporters, Bachmann ranks fourth (10 percent) after Cain (27 percent), Romney (15 percent) and Paul (13 percent). 
 
 The Waterloo native had as good a launch as a campaign could orchestrate: a shining debate showing on June 13, a heady surge to second place in the June Iowa Poll, a formal announcement in her birthplace, and a victory in the Iowa straw poll on Aug. 13. 
 
 Then Rick Perry’s entry in the race on straw poll day snuffed out her candlepower. Today, she’s 1 point ahead of him in Iowa. 
 
 HERMAN CAIN 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 10 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 23 percent 
 
 Cain, 65, a former executive for Burger King and Godfather’s Pizza, has risen 13 points since June, even though he’s visited Iowa just once since mid-August. 
 
 He’s defying the playbook for doing well in Iowa. So what’s the secret in his sauce? 
 
 Men give Cain his first-place showing: 26 percent prefer him; Mitt Romney gets 18 percent. (For women, it is almost an exact flip; they prefer Romney 27 percent to Cain’s 17 percent.) 
 
 The furthest-right voters are under Cain’s thumb. Of those who say they’re “very” conservative, 24 percent go to Cain. Michele Bachmann ranks at 12 percent, then Newt Gingrich at 11 percent. 
 
 Cain also has upside potential with secondary votes. Nineteen percent pick him as their second choice, ahead of Gingrich (13 percent) and Romney (11 percent). 
 
 Add first or second choice together, and the race is less competitive: Cain claims 42 percent to Romney’s 33 percent. 
 
 Several poll participants interviewed said they regretted voting for Bachmann or others at the Iowa straw poll the instant they heard Cain speak. But he was the last to take the stage, and by then it was too late. 
 
 NEWT GINGRICH 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 7 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 7 percent 
 
 Gingrich, 68, the key face of Republican opposition to Democrats during President Bill Clinton’s administration, is tied for fifth place with Rick Perry. 
 
 The former U.S. House speaker earned the most enthusiastic crowd response of any of the six candidates at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition forum on Oct. 22, the day before this poll went into the field. But Gingrich has the same level of support at 7 percent as he had in June. 
 
 The June poll was conducted not long after he used the word “radical” to describe U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to privatize Medicare, and more than 40 percent of respondents at the time said they had an unfavorable view of him. 
 
 Now, 9 percent of likely caucusgoers say they like him the least, a better ranking than Michele Bachmann (16 percent), Mitt Romney (14 percent), Ron Paul (12 percent) and Rick Perry (11 percent). 
 
 Were something to arise during the campaign to lessen Herman Cain’s appeal, Romney would be the biggest beneficiary — but Gingrich is next. He would get 23 percent of Cain defectors. 
 
 JON HUNTSMAN 
 
 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 2 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 1 percent 
 
 Huntsman, 51, a relatively moderate Republican who served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to China, finishes at the bottom of the poll. 
 
 Huntsman, who lives in Washington, D.C., has said he won’t compete in Iowa, citing his opposition to ethanol subsidies. But there are other issues where he’s at odds with most Iowa Republicans, such as his support as Utah’s governor for civil unions for same-sex couples. 
 
 He flitted briefly into Iowa in August for a nationally televised debate. 
 
 RON PAUL 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 7 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 12 percent 
 
 Paul, 76, who is running for president for the third time, has risen into third place. 
 
 University of Northern Iowa political science professor Chris Larimer correctly pegged Paul’s current support without seeing the results of this poll: The Texas congressman is “still the most predictable candidate in terms of support, always finishing third with approximately 12 percent of the vote,” he said last week. 
 
 Paul routinely attracts big crowds of young adults with his message of less government, drug legalization and ending war. He drew 1,200 people to an Oct. 21 University of Iowa appearance. 
 
 This poll shows that Paul does better with younger voters than older people — he’s the first choice for 18 percent of those under 35. But it’s Mitt Romney who wins this age group, with 27 percent. Cain gets 21 percent. 
 
 RICK PERRY 
 
 June Iowa Poll: Not yet a candidate 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 7 percent 
 
 This is the first Iowa Poll measuring support for Rick Perry, 61, who entered the race in South Carolina on Iowa straw poll day, Aug. 13. He’s tied for fifth with Newt Gingrich at 7 percent. 
 
 On Aug. 6, the Texas governor set the tone for his pending campaign with a day of Christian prayers in Houston that drew 30,000 believers. He invited other governors to join him in praying for God’s guidance through the country’s moral and financial struggles. 
 
 Yet Perry finds support from just 7 percent of born-again Christians. Only Jon Huntsman fares worse with this group, at zero. Herman Cain does best, at 26 percent. Michele Bachmann is next at 11 percent. 
 
 Perry blazed to an Iowa polling zenith of 29 percent — 11 points ahead — in a Rasmussen Reports survey on Aug. 31. His numbers have collapsed since, attributed to his tangled speaking skills in debates. 
 
 He is now a second-tier candidate, said Christopher Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. 
 
 
 
 MITT ROMNEY 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 23 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 22 percent 
 
 Romney, 64, glides in at 22 percent, down one point from June. More than anything, this poll shows how polarized likely GOP caucusgoers are about him. 
 
 Romney is more popular than any other candidate with the under-35 age group. He’s the first choice for 27 percent of them, compared to 21 percent for Herman Cain and 18 percent for Ron Paul. He also is top choice among seniors, with 33 percent. Cain is at 15 percent, his poorest showing among any age group. 
 
 Among those who say their minds are made up, Romney gets 24 percent, tying with Paul for first. 
 
 Evangelical voters stalled his campaign here four years ago, and this survey shows they believe his social conservative bona fides are suspect. He’s at the bottom of their list, save for Jon Huntsman, who gets not a single vote. 
 
 Another big warning flag for Romney: Those who definitely intend to caucus don’t like him much. This group is 38 percent of those polled, but Romney is the first choice of just 10 percent of them. Cain is the strongest among definite attenders with 27 percent. 
 
 And likely caucusgoers don’t see him as their backup: 11 percent designated him their second choice, behind Cain and Gingrich. 
 
 RICK SANTORUM 
 
 June Iowa Poll: 4 percent 
 
 October Iowa Poll: 5 percent 
 
 Santorum, 53, a religious conservative who has positioned himself as the steadiest anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage voice in the race, leads the candidates in the number of Iowa campaign visits, long considered a linchpin to success in Iowa. 
 
 But born-again Christians have not rallied around Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. He ties with Mitt Romney at 9 percent. Herman Cain leads with this group at 26 percent. 
 
 Santorum intends to barnstorm about 20 Iowa counties this week to reach the every-county mark of 99. 
 
 Christopher Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa, wonders whether 2011 has ushered in a new style for success in Iowa. 
 
 “(Tim) Pawlenty and Santorum ran traditional campaigns in terms of what has worked in the past, but both have failed to catch on in Iowa,” he said. “Maybe all the critics who argue Iowa allows candidates to advance who perform poorly at the national level won’t hold this year.” 
 
 Recommended Photos 

 
 
 Republican Presidential hopeful Herman Cain campaigns in Talladega, Ala., Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (Dave Martin/AP) 
 
 In four early primary states, according to recent CNN polls,Romney significantly outperformed Cain with female Republicans in every contest save South Carolina. In Iowa, where the two contenders are statistically tied, Romney took 28 percent of female voters and Cain got 17. 
 
 Politico reported Sunday that Cain was accused of sexual harassment by two former employees at the National Restaurant Association, which he led in the 1990s, and that the women left with financial settlements. Cain told Fox News Monday that he “never sexually harassed anyone” and “was falsely accused.” 
 
 If even more women turn against Cain, it could give Romney — who already does better with female than male voters — the chance to pull ahead in the GOP presidential primary. 
 
 The Des Moines Register wrote Sunday that in the new Iowa poll that showed Cain and Romney neck-and-neck, men were behind Cain’s success — 26 percent prefer him while only 18 percent backed Romney. The numbers were almost exactly the reverse for Romney with female respondents — the former governor beat Cain 27 to 17 percent. 
 
 A national CNN survey last week found Cain performing ten points better with men than with women while tying Romney overall. Fox News found similar results. And in recent Time magazine head-to-head matchups with President Obama, Romney was only 8 points behind Obama with women while Cain was 21 points back. 
 
 While conservatives rallied around Texas Gov. Rick Perry after the Post reported on a racial slur written on a rock at the candidate’s hunting camp, so far Cain has not gotten similar support. 
 
 Conservative Women for America, a right-leaning Christian group, is asked for more answers from Cain; the group’s president told Politico she once left a job due to sexual harassment. So did former White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Fox News Monday morning. Strategist Karl Rove and former National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) also criticized Cain’s response.
– Herman Cain was in trouble with women voters even before sexual harassment allegations surfaced, the Washington Post finds. Recent polls found Mitt Romney to be around 10 points ahead of Cain with female votes. In Iowa, where the two are neck-and-neck, 26% of men support Cain and 18% support Romney, while among women, Romney has 27% to Cain’s 17%, according to the Des Moines Register. The Christian group Conservative Women for America has asked Cain to explain the allegations. The group's president tells Politico that she once left a job because of sexual harassment so she has first-hand experience of how serious the issue is. She does, however, stress that "this characterization is completely contrary to the Herman Cain I know." Some prominent conservatives, including Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, have rallied around Cain. Click for more on Cain's sex harassment controversy, including the bizarre way he ended an appearance yesterday.