Herman Cain stops in BC, says help is coming for jobless

Leatherman, 40, said she also hasn’t decided how she feels about the sexual harassment allegations levied against Cain.

“I think we get a lot of hearsay, especially when there’s a really large candidate out there,” she said. “So I think everybody kind of has to make their own decision on that.”

Marshall resident Peggy Grigowski is a strong Cain backer.

“He pulled himself up from the bottom and made himself what he is,” she said while waiting for Cain to speak. “He’s not one of these people that have a lot handed to him.”

Grigowski, 48, said she was skeptical of the harassment allegations.

“What I do know is that I believe Herman Cain, and I think that he’s a great candidate, and that’s where my vote is going,” she said.

Cain did not address the harassment claims in Battle Creek, but speaking in Kalamazoo, he said: “Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been through hell. Here’s the good news: It didn’t kill me or slow me down one bit.”

Cain was speaking to several hundred people in a banquet hall on Kalamazoo’s west side. He ran through his priorities of reviving the economy with tax reforms, strengthening the military and making the U.S. energy independent.

He said skeptics tell him the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will stand in the way of his energy plan.

“In a Cain presidency, the EPA will have a serious attitude adjustment,” Cain said, getting loud applause from the Kalamazoo crowd. “You (the EPA) work for us. We don’t work for you.”

Calhoun County Republican Chairman Steve Mobley introduced Cain at Lux Cafe and then went on to events in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Traverse City.

Mobley said the crowd for the quickly planned Battle Creek event showed Cain has strong local support. He said he’s extended invitations to other candidates to make local appearances before the primary.

“We’ll just have to see how many of them want to put a serious effort into Michigan,” he said. “I want everybody to have the chance to see who they are and make an informed choice.”

Barrett Newkirk can be reached at 966-0692 or bnewkirk@battlecreekenqurier.com.

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