During an interview that aired on CNN's "The Situation Room" on Wednesday night, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain suggested that members of the African American community "have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view."
The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza said, "I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative." He added, "So it's just brainwashing and people not being open-minded, pure and simple."
Despite the comments, Cain signaled he sees "good news" in the situation in that he believes one-third to 50 percent of black Americans are "open-minded." He explained, "I meet them every day. They stop me in the airport. And so this whole notion that all black Americans are necessarily going to stay and vote Democrat and vote for Obama, that's simply not true. More and more black Americans are thinking for themselves. And that's a good thing."
The remarks from Cain come on the heels of his surprise win in the Florida straw poll. It's not the first time the GOP presidential contender has made provocative remarks on issues related to race.
Over the summer, Cain suggested Comedy Central's Jon Stewart mocked him during an episode of "The Daily Show" because he's a "black conservative."
According to a Fox News poll released on Wednesday, Cain is running in third place in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. The survey shows former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leading the GOP primary pack and Texas Governor Rick Perry running in second place.
