He then earned a master's degree in computer science at Purdue University while also working full-time for the U.S. Department of the Navy.

During the 1980s, Cain's success as a business executive at Burger King prompted Pillsbury to appoint him as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza, in which capacity he worked from 1986 to 1996.

In 1995, he was appointed to the Kemp Commission and, in 1996, he served as a senior economic adviser to Bob Dole's presidential campaign.

Eventually the family moved to a modest brick home on Albert Street in the Collier Heights neighborhood.

[8] After completing his master's degree at Purdue, Cain left the Department of the Navy and began working for Coca-Cola in Atlanta as a computer systems analyst.

"[15] Cain's success at Burger King prompted Pillsbury to appoint him president and CEO of another subsidiary, Godfather's Pizza.

[16] In a leveraged buyout in 1988, Cain, executive vice president and COO Ronald B. Gartlan, and a group of investors bought Godfather's from Pillsbury.

[9] Cain served as chairman of the board of the Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from January 1, 1989, to December 31, 1991.

[16] Under Cain's leadership, the Association lobbied against increases to the minimum wage, mandatory health care benefits, regulations against smoking, and lowering the blood alcohol limit that determines whether one is driving under the influence.

[12][22][23] After Cain's term with the restaurant advocacy group ended in 1999, he returned to Omaha for about a year, then moved to his hometown of Atlanta in 2000.

[27][28] On January 19, 2012, Cain began working for WSB again by providing daily commentaries, while occasionally filling in for Erick Erickson and Neal Boortz.

[22] Then former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Jack Kemp, referred to Cain as "the Colin Powell of American capitalism".

Kemp stated that Cain's "conquests won't be counted in terms of countries liberated or lives saved, but in those things that make life worth living—expanding opportunity, creating jobs and broadening horizons, not just for those he knows, but through his example, for those he'll never meet.

"[34] On April 4, 2019, President Donald Trump said that he intended to nominate Cain to the second of the two vacant seats on the Federal Reserve Board.

[35][36] Assessing the possible nomination, news publications reviewed Cain's sexual misconduct allegations that preceded his withdrawal from the 2012 presidential election.

[43] In 1994, as president-elect of the National Restaurant Association, Cain challenged President Bill Clinton on the costs of the employer mandate contained within the Health Security Act and criticized the effect on small businesses.

Bob Cohn of Newsweek described Cain as one of the primary opponents of the plan:[44] The Clintons would later blame "Harry and Louise," the fictional couple in the ads aired by the insurance industry, for undermining health reform.

An articulate entrepreneur, Cain transformed the debate when he challenged Clinton at a town meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.

[45][46][47] Joshua Green of The Atlantic called Cain's exchange with President Clinton his "auspicious debut on the national political stage.

[54] Starting in 2005, Cain worked for the political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) alongside Mark Block.

[6] Following the 2010 midterm elections, Cain announced his intentions to run for president in December 2010, stating that there was a 70% chance that he would attempt to seek the office.

[64][65] "My focus groups have consistently picked Herman Cain as the most likeable candidate in the debates," said GOP pollster Frank Luntz.

[70] Arthur Laffer,[67] Lawrence Kudlow,[71] the Club for Growth,[72] and Congressman Paul Ryan[73] spoke favorably of the plan.

On October 21, Cain told a crowd in Detroit that the plan would be 9–0–9 for the poor, saying that "if you are at or below the poverty level ... then you don't pay that middle nine on your income.

[79] In an interview with White, which aired on the same day, she stated that the affair lasted 13 years and ended right before Cain announced his presidential campaign.

[90] For President Barack Obama's 2012 State of the Union address, the Tea Party Express chose Cain to give its second annual response.

[91] After Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels gave the official GOP response,[92] Cain delivered his speech at the National Press Club.

[97] Cain then told Bryan Fischer that the Republican Party no longer represented the interests of conservatives in the United States and that it did not have "the ability to rebrand itself."

[111] Cain's website editor Dan Calabrese said, "I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling [that] week, including to Arizona where cases [were] spiking.

[112] His death from COVID-19 following his refusal to protect himself from it led to the creation of the Herman Cain Award subreddit, where users share news stories about people who died from COVID-19 after downplaying its deadliness or expressing doubts about the efficacy of precautions against it.