Is another Republican wannabe for the 2016 Oval Office race finally catching up to frontrunner Donald Trump? At least in one poll someone is — and his name is Dr. Ben Carson:
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has emerged as a leading Republican presidential candidate in Iowa and is closing in on frontrunner Donald Trump in the state that hosts the first 2016 nomination balloting contest.
The latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows billionaire Trump with the support of 23 percent of likely Republican caucus participants, followed by Carson at 18 percent. When first and second choices are combined, Carson is tied with Trump.
That’s quite a feat. And there could be no bigger contrast:
Trump finds himself in a vastly better position than when the previous Iowa Poll was taken. He has become a credible presidential candidate to many likely Republican caucus-goers. The real estate mogul is rated favorably by 61 percent and unfavorably by 35 percent, an almost complete reversal since the Iowa Poll in May. He finds his highest ratings among those planning to attend the caucuses for the first time (69 percent) and limited-government Tea Party activists (73 percent). Just 29 percent say they could never vote for him, a number cut in half since May.
Although he isn’t generating the headlines enjoyed by Trump, Carson has quietly built a dedicated network of supporters in Iowa. During the past month, he also aired more ads than any other presidential candidate in Iowa. Carson has the highest favorability rating among Republican candidates, with 79 percent of likely GOP caucus-goers seeing him positively.
Those glowing views of Carson, who has a compelling life story and is seeking to become the nation’s second black president, could make it hard for Trump or other rivals to attack him as the campaign heats up this fall.
Some reaction on Twitter:
Is the Establishment trying to use Ben Carson to derail Donald Trump? – http://t.co/nKnb1UbxT9 #tcot #NRx pic.twitter.com/tuVUFcu5UG
— Virginia Dare (@vdare) August 30, 2015
Ben Carson has the highest favorability of GOP candidates in Iowa, new poll finds: http://t.co/Q3hBLAqsqR pic.twitter.com/gdjkHgRNup
— The Hill (@thehill) August 30, 2015
The plot thickens… => Ben Carson Shocks in Iowa. Dead Heat With Trump…
http://t.co/NBDc1Q0Wmz
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) August 30, 2015
Popular in the Trump household (& freaking out Trump skeptics): his favorable rating w/ Iowa GOPers has skyrocketed. http://t.co/8CdObYyCNi
— Mark Halperin (@MarkHalperin) August 30, 2015
.@realDonaldTrump has only nice things to say about @RealBenCarson and @tedcruz for now… http://t.co/reZWtaZ9tO pic.twitter.com/JevqlckAu0
— Bloomberg Business (@business) August 27, 2015
While everyone is talking about Trump, Carson is sneaking up in the polls, @poconnorWSJ finds: http://t.co/W7wN2CaZ7m pic.twitter.com/7NQZhB7Sck
— Capital Journal (@WSJPolitics) August 26, 2015
Imbecile heaven, too … Ben Carson says he’s open to being Donald Trump’s VP: A match made in wingnut heaven? http://t.co/SWHuCDVHaL
— TheRittenbergReport (@TheRReport) August 24, 2015
Remember when "Ben Carson: the establishment alternative to Trump" wasn't a reasonable thing to say?
— @realDonaldTrump (@MolemanusRex) August 30, 2015
"Establishment Trying Ben Carson’s Magic Negro Charisma To Overshadow Trump" http://t.co/Kvy5S9V8xT Vdare, thanks for saying this.
— Mark Tenney (@MathFaithWorks) August 30, 2015
GOP establishment imploding.
Ben Carson Edging Close to Front-Runner Trump in Latest Iowa Poll – Bloomberg Politics http://t.co/42ib3LYGgS
— Jim Blaine (@JimBlaine) August 29, 2015
Establishment in every country finds people like Dr Ben Carson, from oppressed communities, who're willing to promote state's interest 2/2
— Imran Khan (@Imran1Kh) August 25, 2015
Uncle #BenCarson trending as #Cuckservatives reach out for "black" leadership The #GOP to be represented by a negro & in service of #Israel
— ERNEST LEDBETTER #WR (@ErnieLedbetter) August 30, 2015
#Trump2016 Media hits @realDonaldTrump hard because he is the "Frontrunner". Ben Carson is #2 and I don't see him taking any hard questions.
— 66Ford (@MartyGreen15) August 30, 2015
Photo by Michael Vadon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.