Herman Cain Gets Presidential Super PAC

Supporters of Herman Cain, a businessman running for the Republican presidential nomination, have launched a so-called super PAC--a political action committee that can raise large sums of money to help the former pizza chain magnate compete with his better-funded rivals.

Super PACs--created in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision called Citizens United--can take in unlimited corporate donations to spend on a favorite candidate though there can be no coordination with the campaign. This applies to unions as well. A Super PAC allows a donor to avoid the cap on donating directly to a candidate.

Cain Campaign Ramps-Up a Notch

Cain backers launched Americans for Herman Cain right before the start of Tuesday's GOP presidential debate in Nevada, according to Politico. The group said in a fund-raising e-mail that the PAC will fund everything from TV ads, voter mail, advocacy phones identifying Herman's supporters, to get out the vote programs, Politico reported.

It's our job to propel him to victory in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, Florida, Michigan and Arizona, the fund-raising e-mail said.

This could provide Cain with the funding he needs to capitalize on his surge in national and state polls. Two NBC News-Marist polls released Wednesday showed Cain leading in the South Carolina Republican primary and running close with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Florida.

Cain raised $5.3 million for his presidential campaign with $1.3 million cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission. In his last fund-raising period that ended in October, Cain pulled in $2.8 million. That puts Cain near the bottom of the pack.

Other candidates have supporters who have launched their own super-PACs, including Romney (Restore Our Future), Texas Gov. Rick Perry (Make Us Great Again), and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas (Revolution PAC).