Poll: Cain campaigning pays off in Tennessee

Herman Cain's decision to devote time last month to a bus tour through Tennessee might be helping the candidate to build a Super Tuesday firewall, according to the latest poll from Vanderbilt University.

Cain was the choice of 22 percent of likely voters, according to the poll, besting Mitt Romney by eight percentage points. Rick Perry rounded out the top three with just 8 percent of the vote — 28 percent of voters said they weren't yet sure, while 13 percent said they would prefer additional voters in the primary campaign. 

Cain's rise comes despite swirling allegations of sexual harassment that were breaking as the poll was being conducted. But while the former Godfather's Pizza CEO was able to maintain his lead among voters overall, his base in Tennessee is clearly male voters.

Men supported Cain over Romney 27 percent to 12, while women preferred Cain just 15 percent to 13, underscoring the work Cain must do to repair his image in the eyes of women. 

The poll also showed that any of the top three Republican candidates would give President Obama trouble in the Volunteer State's general election — perhaps unsurprising in a state that has voted consistently Republican since 2000. 

But pollsters also asked respondents how they would vote if a credible third-party candidate emerged, showing that Republicans were vulnerable to a challenge.

If, for example, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg entered an Obama-Romney race, Obama would prevail with a third of supporters, besting Romney's 28 percent and Bloomberg's 14. Obama would also win a contest against Cain and a generic independent candidate, pulling 38 percent compared to Cain's 30 and the independent's 18.

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