Herman Cain returned to his home state for a brief campaign stop Saturday, telling a cheering group of young Republicans in Atlanta that God told him to run for president and that he was “in it to win it.”
"I prayed and prayed and prayed. I am a man of faith," Cain told the Young Republican National Federation at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. "I had to do a lot of praying for this one, more praying than I have ever done before in my life. And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses: ‘You have got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure?' ... Once I made the decision, I did not look back."
“One of the misperceptions that some people have -- I know you all don’t have this misperception -- is that I am not in this to win it. I am in this to win it!” said Cain, a member of Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta. “I am not going anywhere!”
Cain, a former pizza chain executive from Stockbridge, also laid out his priorities, saying he would focus on strengthening national security, the economy and energy independence if elected.
He did not take questions from reporters before he left. And he did not make any references to the sexual harassment allegations that have dogged his campaign in recent days.
Cain has vigorously denied the accusations brought by four women. Two of them have come forward publicly and two have received paid settlements from the National Restaurant Association, where Cain was CEO in the 1990s.
Cain remains on top of the Republican pack despite the allegations, according to the CBS News poll released Friday. He collected 18 percent of support in the poll, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who were tied at 15 percent.
The candidates are scheduled to appear in a televised Republican presidential debate at 8 p.m. Saturday at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.
Also Saturday, Cain vowed to scrap the national health care overhaul. He said he would replace the nation’s tax code with a 9 percent personal income tax, a 9 percent business tax and a 9 percent national sales tax. He championed the nation’s space exploration program. He called Israel a friend. And he said he would seek to bring about an “attitude adjustment” at the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
“Somehow along the way they have gotten the idea that we work for them instead of they work for us,” he said. “They work for us. And we are going to unleash our energy resources.
“In fact, we are going to have an attitude adjustment with every agency in Washington, D.C., because you see I am not going to be the politician’s president. I am going to be the people’s president. And that is a big difference.”
Lisa Stickan, chairwoman of the Young Republican National Federation, said Cain’s appearance was scheduled months ago. Cain, she said, addressed the top issue among young GOP voters: the economy.
“We have people who are out of work,” she said. “It’s tough. I think the main concern for the younger voters is the economy. And that is what we wanted to hear about.”
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