Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has moved ahead of Donald Trump in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, according to a national poll. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in a distant third at 8 percent, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina tied at 7 percent.
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Four polls now show Trump behind Carson in Iowa, with the latest Monmouth University Poll putting Carson on top by 14 points; and aLoras College poll giving Carson the nod by 31 percent to 19 percent.
With this in mind, if these new results are a just a blip on the radar, it will soon be forgotten. Both candidates are Washington outsiders and Trump has been attacking Carson, a campaign move that is not been proving successful.
Side by side images of Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson.
In third in the national poll is Sen.
Trump has clashed previously with debate moderators, including a widely publicized beef that apparently continues between Trump and Fox News’ Megyn Kelly.
The poll shows the other candidates in the field face an uphill battle to overtake either Trump or Carson, as nobody else has support in the double digits.
Given the new Trump and Carson feud look for another cable TV ratings record with CNBC getting the win this time. The Times, however, points out that its too early in the game for many Republican primary voters to know for sure who theyll cast their ballots for.
A New York Times/CBS News poll has Carson with 26 percent support among 1,289 voters polled nationwide.
The most recent CBS/New York Times poll surveyed 575 Republican primary voters and carries a 6-percentage-point margin of error. He also trails Carson in two Iowa polls. Only 28 percent of respondents said they had already made up their minds.
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The climbing support for Carson comes despite his taking a break from public campaign events to go on a book tour amid controversial comments about gun violence and the Holocaust.
