Poll: Outsiders Mixed on Cain's 9-9-9 Plan

Businessman Herman Cain, who is surging to the top of the polls for the GOP nomination, and his 9-9-9 tax reform plan are both growing in national recognition and criticism.

Influential conservatives in several early primary/ caucus states this week found mixed support of his plan. The HuffPo/ Patch survey of leaders in South Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire and Iowa found 44 percent of respondents support the initiative, while 36 percent are opposed to it.

Interestingly, 20 percent of those surveyed said they were uncertain, and only 24 percent of those surveyed felt strongly about it either way (strongly in favor or strongly opposed).

When just the 60 S.C. conservatives are considered, the figures are similar, as 43 percent said they were in favor of the plan and 32 percent said they were opposed to it.

When asked to describe the initiative in one word, there was also mixed response. Influential conservatives used a positive word in 42 percent of the cases, and a negative word 36 percent of the time (see the word cloud of responses above).