Herman Cain, the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO who is running for president, said today he would not support Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a general election.

“Today, I could not support Rick Perry as the nominee for a host of reasons,” Cain told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Wednesday, pointing specifically to Perry’s stance on illegal immigration.

Cain is on a hot streak in the race after a strong debate performance last week in Florida and his victory in a straw poll of Republican activists there on Saturday. But while his competitors continue to plow through the early primary states, Cain, who will be releasing his book next week, hasn’t followed suit. Regardless, in a new FOX News poll, Cain came in at 17%, third, behind Rick Perry and Mitt Romney.

Cain has mostly shied away from commenting specifically on the positions of his opponents and at debates Republicans have agreed that any of the candidates would be preferable to President Obama.

Why wouldn’t Cain support Perry in the general election?

“Him being soft on securing the border is one of the reasons,” said Cain. “I feel strongly about the need to secure the border for real, the need to enforce the laws already there, the need to promote the path to citizenship, but more importantly, empower the states to enforce the national federal immigration laws. Because the federal government didn’t do it, can’t do it and never will do it, so that’s the where I think he and I have a difference of opinion.”

Perry spokesman Mark Miner brushed off the criticism.

“As the Governor of a state that share’s more than 1200 miles of border with Mexico there is no other candidate in this race with more frontline experience on border security than Governor Perry,” said Miner. “This is a federal responsibility yet the state of Texas has put in more than $400 million into border security efforts.”