CNN Poll: Cain Ties Romney on Backs of Men, Affluent

By Steven Shepard  //  October 17, 2011 | 12:21 p.m.
Updated: October 19, 2011 | 10:15 a.m.

A new CNN/ORC International poll released Monday echoes other surveys in showing Herman Cain running neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney among Republican voters, with the former Godfather's Pizza CEO outrunning the former Massachusetts governor among men and wealthier primary voters.

The poll shows Romney leading with 26 percent of the vote, one point clear of Cain, who is at 25 percent; the difference is well within the poll's margin of error of +/- 4.8 percent. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is well behind the two frontrunners, at 13 percent.

The survey also shows a developing gender gap: Cain leads Romney among men, 30 percent to 25 percent. Among women, Romney leads Cain, 26 percent to 20 percent.

Cain's support also comes largely from voters making $50,000 a year or more; he leads among that subgroup, 32 percent to 27 percent. But among voters making less than $50,000 a year, he trails both Romney and Perry, with only 15 percent of the vote.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is at nine percent in the poll, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is at eight percent, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is at six percent., former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is at two percent and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman earned just one percent. One percent chose another, unnamed candidate, while nine percent chose no one or had no opinion.

While Romney and Cain are the current frontrunners, just a third say that their minds are made up, while two-thirds say they could change their mind. Cain has surged over the past three weeks, from just nine percent in late September, a net gain of 16 percent. That is roughly equal to Perry's fall; Perry led the field three weeks ago, with 30 percent of the vote. Romney, meanwhile, has gained a modest four points over that time -- well within the margin of error. The CNN/ORC International poll was conducted Oct. 14-16, surveying 416 registered Republican or Republican-leaning independent voters. The poll was released one day before CNN will air a Republican presidential debate from Las Vegas.

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