A/V: Cain Campaign Visits Dayton

A defiant Herman Cain addresses an enthusiastic crowd at the Dayton Marriott

Despite dropping poll numbers and increasing scrutiny of his personal conduct in the press, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain wowed a highly partisan gathering during a visit to Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday afternoon.  During this second stop of a day-long swing through the state, Cain stayed on his campaign message, touting his trademark '9-9-9' tax plan and other conservative-friendly talking points to an overflow crowd at the city's Marriott hotel.

Many members in the crowd openly displayed their dissatisfaction with Washington politics and unfair taxation policies

After opening remarks, an invocation, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, the singing of the National Anthem and the screening of a short campaign video, the candidate was finally introduced by Rob Scott, founder and president of the Dayton Tea Party.  Many in the audience sported clothing and signs espousing that group's distrust with status quo politics and the current climate in the nation's capital.

The main contingent of media members following the candidate through the state on Wednesday

Beginning the day in the Cincinnati suburb of West Chester, the hometown of House Speaker John Boehner, the candidate stopped for the midday event in Dayton before heading off to Columbus for a late afternoon rally on the campus of the Ohio State University.  A nighttime rally in the Cleveland suburb of Independence was cancelled when the mayor reneged on reserving the city's civic center for Cain or for any other future political events.

Herman Cain meeting well-wishers at the conclusion of his prepared remarks

While he recently stated that his campaign would have to be 'reevaluated', Cain made only a short reference to the multiple allegations that have dogged his candidacy since the first ones broke in a Politico article published in late October.  Then the emerging front-runner, the former Godfather Pizza CEO has seen his support decline among Republican voters who appear to like him personally but do not see him winning the nomination next year. 

 The Cain campaign bus starts its journey to the next stop in Columbus