Posted on 08/20/2015 8:00:49 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Second place in Iowa. Top three nationally. No, it’s not Jeb Bush or Scott Walker -- it’s Ben Carson.
The neurosurgeon, who has never held elected office, is emerging from middle tier as a top contender after the first Republican debate.
Carson, the only black candidate in the 2016 presidential field, is polling at 12 percent in a national Fox News poll out Sunday and 14 percent in a CNN Iowa poll out last week -- good enough for second place in the GOP field behind only Donald Trump. Carson is in third place in a national CNN poll out Tuesday.
So, what’s behind Carson’s rise to the top tier?
The candidate is not the most eloquent in the Republican field, nor does he have the most experience or money. But in a campaign that has so far revolved around Donald Trump, Ben Carson brings to the table much of what Trump is – a Washington outsider, not a politician, authentic and genuine -- without the bombast and spectacle.
Instead, he embodies a compelling personal story -- from troubled youngster with a horrible temper to prominent neurosurgeon who became the youngest physician to ever head a major division at Johns Hopkins and the first to successfully separate Siamese twins joined at the head. And while the candidate isn’t the most charismatic on the stump, he often hits a rhythm while engaging with voters’ questions.
Carson is currently campaigning in Arizona, where he drew one of the largest crowds of the election cycle at the Phoenix Convention Center -- estimated at 12,000 people, according to his campaign. ABC News has not independently verified these numbers.
His campaign says his recent success is a product of the way he is aggressively reaching out to all Americans with his authenticity and speaking style.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
I don’t know, because as I said I don’t know what your original comment was referring to. I’ve never seen or heard anything about that. Got a link or some referrences?
He’s simply very likable. Not ready for the presidency but I like him.
Sadly it says a lot about the state of the voter base.
Great guy, wobbly on guns.
Yeah, I probably won’t vote for him in the primary, but were he to get the nomination i wouldn’t have a problem voting for him against Hilary or Bernie or whoever else they’re going to come up with.
And how many are in the democRAT field?
YES! Let’s get behind this black man with no executive experience to prove to the world that Republicans aren’t racist! /s
Look, you know he’s going to do better than Obozo.
And “political experience” nowadays just means the experience to steal and get away with it.
Yep
I like Ben, but he’s squishy on the 2nd Amendment and therefore disqualified.
Fine for the primary, but should he win that, will you support him in the general election?
Including our identity as a country.
Carson is doing well because there is a sizable chunk of the GOP who are so desperate to attract black voters to the party and to also prove they are not racists that they will gladly jump to support any black man that runs for president with a R after their name.
Well said, ladyjane.
Maybe for Surgeon General
Ask the “good” doctor what to do with the dead babies from abortion? He says that we should use in research.. despicable..
Agree
RE: Maybe for Surgeon General
Waste of talent IMHO.
Same here. Can you see him meeting with Putin, or taking on the leaders of Iran? Not me.
He can surely do some good at the veterans hospital.
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