Herman Cain is a candidate for the 2012 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination.

Born on Dec. 13, 1945 to a meager background in Georgia, Herman Cain made his mark as a successful business executive through his years working at Coca-Cola, Pillsbury, and Godfather’s Pizza. As regional vice president of Pillsbury’s Burger King division, Cain transformed the 450 restaurants in one of Burger King’s worst performing regions into the company’s top performers. He then served as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza from 1986 to 1996 and became president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999. Cain served as deputy chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1994, and as chairman from 1995 to 1996. Before his business career, he worked as a mathematician in ballistics as a civilian employee of the United States Navy.

Cain has ran for public office a number of times, including the unsuccessful campaign in 2000 for President and 2004 for Senator. In May 2011, Cain entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Initially dismissed by mainstream media, Cain unexpectedly surged in Republican primary polls in October 2011, and became one of the leading candidates for the nomination. In November 2011, accusations of sexual harassment, which Cain firmly denied, contributed to a sharp decline in Cain's support in opinion polls.