Turns out the media firestorm over charges that former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain sexually harassed women was pretty good for the Cain campaign’s bottom line.
A TPM analysis of campaign finance data filed with the Federal Election Commission this week confirms the Cain campaign’s assertion that their fundraising got a boost after Politico first reported that the National Restaurant Association reached two sexual harassment settlements with women who accused Cain of inappropriate behavior in the 1990s.
Cain’s campaign received $245,604 — more than they had on any other single day within a few weeks of when the allegations emerged — on Nov. 1, just two days after Politico’s Oct. 30 report.
But as the number of sexual harassment allegations went up, the donations flattened out. They really started tapering off after a fourth woman stepped forward on Nov. 7.
Cain eventually suspended his presidential campaign on Dec. 3. More recently he delivered a response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, endorsed Newt Gingrich and has been touring around the country promoting his super PAC, which was funded by a New York real estate magnate who used to publish the New York Post.
TPM’s Clayton Ashley made this handy chart, showing the rise and fall of Cain’s fundraising strength:
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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