DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is making a pitch to supporters of Herman Cain that she is the natural place for them to land now that he is no longer in the race.
“I think Herman Cain brought a really important, exciting, energetic voice to the race, and I think a lot of people are going to be very sorry to see him go,” Bachmann said on Sunday during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
She also told moderator Candy Crowley that she thinks Cain’s supporters will “see that my voice will be the one that would be most reflective of his.”
That’s a change in tone from the campaign trail, when Bachmann went after Cain for his 9-9-9 plan and his lack of experience in national security.
One press release from her campaign read, “Cain Lacks Foreign Policy Experience and Security Seriousness.”
Others read, “9-9-9 Would Wreck the U.S. Economy,” and, “9-9-9 Targets the Middle Class and Lays the Groundwork for a European-Style Value-Added Tax.”
Last month, Bachmann slammed Cain during a radio interview for being inconsistent on a myriad of issues, including abortion, a marriage amendment, terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, China and his 9-9-9 plan.
“There’s been 10 instances in the last month where he’s changed his positions on significant issues,” Bachmann said.
Yet on Sunday, Bachmann suggested that she hopes to get Cain’s backing.
“We’ve been talking with the Herman Cain campaign, and I look forward to having a full conversation with him,” she said.
Bachmann could stand to benefit here in Iowa, where she is focusing much of her effort, if Cain’s supporters got behind her. She is polling at 8 percent in the state now, according to a Des Moines Register poll released over the weekend. Iowa, the first state where voting will be held, holds its caucuses on Jan. 3.
News reports indicate that Cain is likely to endorse former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who, like Cain, is also from Georgia, and who rarely attacked Cain during the campaign.