Herman Cain, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, denied sexual harassment allegations Monday after a report surfaced over the weekend of sexual harassment claims.

Politico reported that two women complained of sexually suggestive behavior from Cain in the 1990s that made them “angry and uncomfortable.” It said they both received financial payouts to leave the National Restaurant Association which bar them from speaking of their departure.

Cain told the Associated Press that he was “falsely accused” of sexually inappropriate behavior when he was president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association from 1996-1999. He said investigations found the claims to be “baseless.”

The former pizza executive has recently surged to the lead in polls for the Republican presidential nomination, according to Reuters.