The more Republicans hear about Herman Cain, the more they apparently like him. At least among those who've watched the many primary debates. If you take a look at the new Washington Post/ABC News poll chart, 70 percent of Republicans who've watched recent debates say they like him more, which is above similar getting-to-like-you numbers for Mitt Romney (38 percent) or Rick Perry (29 percent). After seeing that statistic, it makes sense Cain was the biggest gainer in the Post/ABC News poll, showing him exactly tied with the Texas governor with total support at 16 percent. In first place, still, is the playing-it-safe Mitt, who leads the pack with 25 percent (and looks to be shoring up his lead because of Rick Perry's missteps by Real Clear Politics poll averaging chart). But, for Cain, it looks like last week's Fox News poll showing an unlikely bit of momentum was no one-time fluke. 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ehayden at nationaljournal dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden