Top Cain Staffers Jump Ship

Despite an impressive third-place showing in Iowa polls, Herman Cain staffers are running for the hills—though his campaign insists it’s no “Newt Gingrich situation.” Cain’s organizational director for Iowa and his New Hampshire campaign director have both quit over their candidate’s limited engagement with their states, Politico reports. A regional director and straw poll head have also departed. “We are sorry to see them go, but we already have a replacement,” says a Cain rep, citing plans for a new Iowa director.

Former Iowa organizational director Tina Goff said her ex-boss “wasn’t willing to make the commitment to Iowa necessary to win the straw poll. ... I'm very sad about it.” One Cain supporter says he recently saw Goff break down in tears at an overcrowded rally. Meanwhile, Iowa staffers and volunteers are rumored to be squabbling amongst themselves, exchanging accusations of affairs, homosexuality, and corruption. “A lot of volunteers, who worked hard for five months, are all leaving the campaign,” says one volunteer. (More Herman Cain stories.)