Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has sailed past Donald Trump nationally to take the lead in the race for the GOP nomination, a new poll shows.
The
CBS News/New York Times polls shows:
- Carson, 26 percent
- Trump, 22 percent
- Marco Rubio, 8 percent
- Jeb Bush, 7 percent
- Carly Fiorina, 7 percent
All other candidates, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ohio Gov. John Kasich each were the choice of 4 percent or lower.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
The Times notes the third GOP debate of the presidential hopefuls on Wednesday "could further scramble the unsettled field."
Other results:
- 7 in 10 say it's too early to say for sure who they'll support;
- 28 percent say their minds are made up;
- 55 percent of Trump supporters say their minds are made up
- 80 percent of Carson backers say it's too early to say for sure if they'll eventually vote for him.
CBS reports Carson is gaining ground across "many key Republican groups" – including evangelicals, with whom the retired doctor is running 20 points ahead of Trump. Carson also is leading Trump among women, and is running neck-and-neck with him among men.
Further, CBS notes Carson is performing well among conservatives and those who identify as tea party members, while Trump is doing well with moderates and is leading Carson among voters without a college degree. The survey comes on the heels of a
Monmouth University poll released Monday that shows Carson with a 14-point lead over Trump.
Polls released late last week in early-voting state Iowa had Trump also running behind Carson, with 20 percent of the vote in one poll and 19 in another, while Carson notched 28 percent in each of the surveys.
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