http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/280512/cain-and-social-issues-katrina-trinko


Quoted in Nation’s Restaurant News, 1998, Cain explained the reason he had nixed a 2000 run for the Senate in Nebraska:

After meeting with political consultants and past and present senators, Cain said he had determined that while he has very strong and distinct opinions about business-related matters, he is less clear-cut in his stances on social issues and was not ready to appease voters by taking stands on those issues.

“Too many people in the electorate are single-issue voters,” he commented, “and to try and cater to the single-issue voters and the single-issue pockets out there felt like I was compromising my beliefs. As an example, with the pro-life and pro-abortion debate, the most vocal people are on the ends. I am pro-life with exceptions, and people want you to be all or nothing.”

He added, “I am not a social-issue crusader. I am a free-enterprise crusader.”

Here's some analysis from Louis Jacobson in the March 6, 1999 edition of The National Journal:

"If he runs, Cain says he will advocate market-oriented reforms of health care and Social Security, plus a simpler and fairer tax system. Each of these issues ranks high on the GOP's economic agenda.

"But unlike many in his party, Cain opposes school vouchers for private schools and backs efforts only to 'revisit,' not eliminate, affirmative action. He declined to give his position on abortion rights. In the primaries, Cain's moderate social stances could pose problems."