Presidential candidate Herman Cain will be the first in the 2012 race to receive protection from the United States Secret Service. It was not immediately clear why Cain had requested the protection, but a Secret Service spokesman confirmed that Cain met the criteria. While early, it is not unprecedented for a candidate to receive protection from the Secret Service at this point in the race.
Barack Obama was placed under Secret Service protection in May 2007, the earliest a candidate had ever received their protection. Major candidates are usually placed under Secret Service protection four months prior to the general election. The Secret Service began protecting the president following William McKinley’s assassination in 1901. Presidential candidates were protected following the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968.
