Haley Barbour Predicts Herman Cain Would 'Sweep The South' Against Obama

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) had kind words for GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain on Thursday, predicting he could fare well against President Obama in the 2012 election.

“If Herman Cain is our nominee running against Barack Obama, I think he’ll sweep the South,” Barbour said on Laura Ingraham's radio show.

According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released Wednesday, Cain has taken the lead in the Republican presidential nomination race with 27 percent of Republican voters favoring him, 4 percentage points higher than Mitt Romney. Still, the same poll shows Obama leading Cain in a head-to-head general election 49 percent to 39 percent.

Barbour called Cain a “straight-talking person who calls it like he sees it” and who has “attracted a good following” -- including Barbour's own family.

"He's likable. I think if [elections] were today, my wife would vote for Herman Cain," he said, adding that his sons had taken a liking to Cain's campaign as well, telling him, "Dad, I like him. I like what he says."

Barbour, who has called for a referendum on Obama's economic policy, supported Cain’s proposed 9-9-9 plan calling it “commonsensical.” The plan, which looks to create a flat nine percent business, national and individual tax, was a hot topic at Tuesday night’s GOP debate with Romney dismissing the plan for being too "simple."

“”We need to do things that say here’s what we’re for, here’s why we’re for it, and here’s how it’ll help our country and our communities,” Barbour said. “That is something Herman Cain has made in a real straightforward, simple to understand way.”

On the Laura Ingraham Show today, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour weighed in on the rise of Herman Cain in the polls, saying that Cain would sweep the south if he was the nominee and that if the vote was held today, Governor Barbour's wife would vote for Herman Cain. Governor Barbour also talked about Rick Perry's fall in the polls and the problem RomneyCare represents for Mitt Romney. Enjoy!