My first thoughts were to put this in ASB, but then I thought it over and decided he could win the nomination. In 2011, he decides to be a serious candidate and stop signing books. He builds a national organization but concentrates on Iowa. He also does not end his affair and buys her silence by giving her a job on the campaign Before Iowa Newt Gingrich's campaign implodes from Romney's negative campaigning and from too many gaffes. Cain wins the vast majority of the OTL Santorium and Gingrich vote to win Iowa by a wide margin. Mitch Daniels or Chris Christie or Haley Barbour sap votes from Romney and make New Hampshire a close contest. Cain goes on to win South Carolina and Florida. Then Cain wins Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Arizona, Alaska, and then deals a blow to Romney by winning Michigan, Washington,Alaska and Georgia are Cain's next victories. On Super Tuesday Cain wins Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Wisconsin Pennsylvania go for Cain. In May he sweeps Indiana, West Virginia, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oregon and Texas. He finishes his winning streak by winning California, South Dakota and Montana. Both Cain and Romney had over a thousand delegates but neither one had enough to win the nomination. Cain would win a second ballot nomination.
He starts the fall campaign with two problems. The 999 plan has received so much coverage that most voters know that it will cause them to pay more taxes and due to the sexual harassment charges, Cain began with a larger gender gap.
In September, his ongoing extra marital affair became public knowledge. A week before the election, his statement that abortion is a women's choice angered much of the Republican base and led to a massive social conservative boycott of the polls.
The results showed the damage Cain had done. He won only 36 % of the popular vote to Obama's 60%, with 4 % going to protest votes. Cain won only Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma and West Virginia brining him 25 electoral votes to Obama's 513. Republicans would lose control of the House when the Democrats won a 262 to 173 majority. Democrats won a filibuster proof majority in the Senate by winning close contests in Nevada and Arizona and upset victories in Nebraska, Texas and Mississippi.