GOP presidential contenders begin to weigh in on Herman Cain allegations

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff, and Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

Republican presidential candidates, largely silent until today on the sexual harassment allegations plauging rival Herman Cain, are beginning to speak out.

Frontrunner Mitt Romney labeled them “particularly disturbing,” while Rick Santorum branded them “unfortunate” and “a distraction.”

Speaking with ABC News from Chicago for a series a year from Election Day 2012, Romney told interviewer George Stephanopoulos: “These are serious allegations.”

He added: “They’re going to have to be addressed seriously. I don’t have any counsel for Herman Cain or for his campaign; they have to take their own counsel on this.”

Romney, a lawyer as well as a former businessman and Massachusetts governor, said in his first public comments since the allegations surfaced last week: “I don’t want to suppose truth or lack of truth; I just think it’s important to recognize that a number of women have come forward with concerns. This woman’s charges are particularly disturbing and they’re serious.”

Santorum, campaigning in Raymond, N.H., said: “My feeling is this is a problem that Herman has to deal with.”

He added: “It’s unfortunate. It’s certainly a distraction.”

Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, told reporters after holding a town hall meeting in the Raymond Safety Complex that every campaign has its pluses and minuses.

“People have to sift through them, make a decision about who the best person is to take on Barack Obama,” he said. “This is a factor people will look at and have to make a decision. “

Santorum added that he is not paying much attention to the Cain situation.

“I’m running a campaign,” he said.

In fact, the GOP candidates resume their pre-primary debate schedule tomorrow night in Michigan, where the topic is expected to come up.

Four women have accused Cain of sexual harassment during his 1990s tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association.

One of them, Sharon Bialek, stepped forward yesterday to level her allegations publicly. The other accusers have been bound by confidentiality agreements that followed cash settlements or expressed fear at having their privacy invaded.

The Cain campaign has accused Bialek of lying and said her attorney, Gloria Allred, is a Democratic activist.

Cain is planning a rebuttal news conference at 5 p.m. EST.