GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain became the first political figure among eight Republicans to get Secret Service protection for next year's election. Cain's office went through normal Department of Homeland Security protocols, including consulting with members of Congress. Cain is the only person without previous political experience running for president in 2012.
Here's a look at how and why the Secret Service protects candidates for president.
Robert F. Kennedy
The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in June 1968 precipitated Congress to pass Public Law 90-331 authorizing the Secret Service to protect major presidential candidates. The organization does not determine who is a "major" candidate but instead consults with congressional leaders such as the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader and members from both political parties.
Kennedy was assassinated at the end of a campaign stop June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles. Sirhan Sirhan was an armed gunmen who met Kennedy in the crowded ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel. Kennedy was pronounced dead 26 hours after he was shot. Although he had served as Attorney General before, Kennedy didn't have the Secret Service available for campaign stops.
Over-reaching Protection
The Washington Post reports candidates are allowed by law to seek protection 120 days before a general election. Those running for president may request protection earlier if certain fundraising and polling criteria are met. The Secret Service requested $113.4 million to protect the 2012 Republican nominee, up from $4 million in 2008.
Cain's request comes six weeks from the first presidential caucus in Iowa on Jan. 3. The earliest any candidate has ever been given Secret Service protection was then-Sen. Barack Obama, who came under the watch of the agency in May 2007.
The Secret Service has been busy with a seemingly unending political election cycle. In 2008, it had to protect candidates from nearly 4 million people wishing to see them at speeches, rallies and fundraisers. The Secret Service protects four former presidents, visiting dignitaries, the president and vice president, and it organizes law enforcement agencies for the national conventions of both political parties in the summer.
Cain's status as a front-running and "major" candidate has taken an important administrative leap forward. The news of a Secret Service detail comes just days after police outside a Cain campaign stop in Florida manhandled a journalist from CBS News trying to cover the story. Three of Cain's staffers apologized for the incident when a plainclothes police officer stuck his arm out to clothesline Lindsey Boerma after pushing her into the side of Cain's campaign bus.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.
