Since announcing his candidacy, Ben Carson has seen a significant jump in polling which has propelled him to a tie for the top position shared with Jeb Bush. This is noteworthy given how Bush has currently fallen way behind in Iowa, but continues to poll well nationally. Carson is doing a little better in Iowa but also remains more popular nationally than he is in individual primary polls.
Report from NPR:
Following a trio of Republican campaign announcements last week, Ben Carson leaps to the top spot of GOP presidential candidates in the latest Fox News poll tied with presumed GOP front-runner Jeb Bush.
Carson, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee all entered the race for the Republican nomination early last week, but none has seen as dramatic a bump as the retired neurosurgeon.
Both Bush and Carson sit atop the Fox poll at 13 percent each among Republican primary voters. That’s a seven-point bounce for Carson who was at just 6 percent in the same poll in April.
The poll comes amid Bush’s shifting statements on whether he would have authorized the Iraq War. Being tied to the unpopular war, launched by his older brother President George. W. Bush, would be a potential liability to the former Florida governor’s yet-to-be-launched bid for the Oval Office.
Poll results from the latest Fox News national poll of GOP primary voters:
13% – Carson, Bush (tied)
11% – Walker
10% – Huckabee
9% – Rubio
7% – Paul
6% – Christie, Cruz (tied)
4% – Trump
Surprising to me in all this is how well candidates like Cruz and Paul connect at the grassroots level, yet fall so far behind in these national polls. In fact, out of the top 3, only Carson is official. Does this mean that when/if Bush and/or Walker finally do announce, they may grab some significant support and start breaking out?
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