Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has moved into first position in the polls in Iowa, surpassing the former front-runner, Donald Trump.
The new poll, the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics poll, shows that 28% of Republicans support the retired neurosurgeon. This is up 10 percentage points from August. Trump, meanwhile, is supported by 19% of voters, which is down 4%.
The poll indicates that supporters of Carson are intrigued by his personal story and his situation as a “non-career politician.” Moreover they view Carson as a person who approaches issues with guidance from his faith and, maybe equally as importantly, with common sense.
Ann Selzer, president of West Des Moines-based Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll, stated that, “[Carson’s] standing has improved in every way pollsters traditionally measure. This might be a wake-up for Donald Trump.”
Evangelical Christians appear to be throwing their support behind Carson. His support from that group has gone up over 10% since August.
Tea Party supporters have also fueled Carson’s rise.
Things are not looking so good for Jeb Bush. Even after one month of heavy advertising by super Pacs on his behalf, he is only at 5% in the polls, down 1% from August. His favorability rating has gone up, however.
According to caucus participants, Bush’s name is not helping him. Almost 50% of likely voters claim that being the brother and son of two former presidents would be detrimental to his presidency as he would be in their shadow.
Carson supporters believe that he has what it takes to become president, in part because he was born into poverty, and worked incredibly hard to achieve his incredible professional success. Seeking to become the second black president of the United States could make it difficult for Trump and others to effectively attack Carson as the campaign continues.
Many also believe that Carson can win black votes in the general election, which could help defeat Hillary Clinton.
Bruce Lindberg, a chiropractor from Ottumwa who is leaning toward Carson said that Carson “just says what he believes and I like that. I like his story. He’s been a hard worker and I don’t think anything was given to him. He knows what it takes to be successful and that you have to work for it.”
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