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 ...
He may be a great addition to St. Jude’s
“..means giving up your beliefs in order to stay elected..”
Or, maybe they never really had them?
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