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Ben Carson: understated candidate quietly rises in polls amid Trump frenzy | Ben Carson: understated candidate quietly rises in polls amid Trump frenzy |
(34 minutes later) | |
An outsider candidate with no political experience could shake up the Republican field – but it’s not Donald Trump. | An outsider candidate with no political experience could shake up the Republican field – but it’s not Donald Trump. |
As the media continues to swarm over Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has quietly risen to the top tier of the crowded Republican presidential lineup, which features 18 candidates. | As the media continues to swarm over Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has quietly risen to the top tier of the crowded Republican presidential lineup, which features 18 candidates. |
Yet while Trump has surged to the top of the pack with a brash, outspoken manner that can more closely resemble insult comedy rather than traditional politics, the appeal of the quiet, understated Carson is rooted in his calm bedside manner and earnest religious faith. | Yet while Trump has surged to the top of the pack with a brash, outspoken manner that can more closely resemble insult comedy rather than traditional politics, the appeal of the quiet, understated Carson is rooted in his calm bedside manner and earnest religious faith. |
A strong finish to an otherwise subdued performance in the first Republican debate has been credited with reawakening interest in Carson, who saw the largest post-debate gain in a national Fox News survey released over the weekend. The poll found that while Trump was still strongly ahead with 25%, Carson had shot up five points and into second place with 12%. | A strong finish to an otherwise subdued performance in the first Republican debate has been credited with reawakening interest in Carson, who saw the largest post-debate gain in a national Fox News survey released over the weekend. The poll found that while Trump was still strongly ahead with 25%, Carson had shot up five points and into second place with 12%. |
Other surveys, including one in the key early voting state of Iowa, have also observed a boost in Carson’s numbers and placed him in the top three GOP candidates since the debate. | Other surveys, including one in the key early voting state of Iowa, have also observed a boost in Carson’s numbers and placed him in the top three GOP candidates since the debate. |
Carson has long been acclaimed in medical circles as one of the most gifted surgeons in modern American history. The former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he was the first doctor to ever successfully separate twins conjoined at the brain. | Carson has long been acclaimed in medical circles as one of the most gifted surgeons in modern American history. The former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he was the first doctor to ever successfully separate twins conjoined at the brain. |
Through his memoir, Gifted Hands, which told the story about how Carson went from an impoverished youth in Detroit to the height of the medical profession, he became a role model in the African American community. But, until recently, Carson was never considered a political figure. | Through his memoir, Gifted Hands, which told the story about how Carson went from an impoverished youth in Detroit to the height of the medical profession, he became a role model in the African American community. But, until recently, Carson was never considered a political figure. |
In 2013, however, Carson rocketed to prominence in conservative circles with a fiery speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC. There, standing only a few feet away from Barack Obama, Carson delivered an extended critique of Obamacare, progressive taxation and political correctness. | In 2013, however, Carson rocketed to prominence in conservative circles with a fiery speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC. There, standing only a few feet away from Barack Obama, Carson delivered an extended critique of Obamacare, progressive taxation and political correctness. |
In the aftermath of the speech, Carson became a political celebrity as conservatives flocked to a prominent, well-respected African American who was prepared to directly criticize Obama from the right. | |
Carson quickly started to hit the circuit of rightwing political conferences and hint at a future in electoral politics. Carson’s following also saw a substantial shift away from African American communities and to hard-right conservatives, as he routinely drew national headlines for controversial statements that likened America to Nazi Germany and compared Obamacare to slavery. | Carson quickly started to hit the circuit of rightwing political conferences and hint at a future in electoral politics. Carson’s following also saw a substantial shift away from African American communities and to hard-right conservatives, as he routinely drew national headlines for controversial statements that likened America to Nazi Germany and compared Obamacare to slavery. |
Throughout his campaign for president, Carson has touted his social conservative bona fides, portraying himself as an uncompromising hardliner on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, in particular, even though his record on the latter is actually somewhat mixed. | Throughout his campaign for president, Carson has touted his social conservative bona fides, portraying himself as an uncompromising hardliner on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, in particular, even though his record on the latter is actually somewhat mixed. |
Much like the vast majority of the Republican field, Carson endorsed legislation earlier this year that would ban abortion at 20 weeks. He has also joined his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls in calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, in the wake of the controversy surrounding secret videos shot by anti-abortion activists that show employees of the women’s health agency discussing fetal tissue sales. | Much like the vast majority of the Republican field, Carson endorsed legislation earlier this year that would ban abortion at 20 weeks. He has also joined his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls in calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, in the wake of the controversy surrounding secret videos shot by anti-abortion activists that show employees of the women’s health agency discussing fetal tissue sales. |
But even as he has attacked Planned Parenthood, Carson has stood by his support for fetal tissue research – which he has carried out himself in his own medical career. | But even as he has attacked Planned Parenthood, Carson has stood by his support for fetal tissue research – which he has carried out himself in his own medical career. |
He has also expressed support for the use of RU-486, an abortion pill opposed by the pro-life community since it is typically administered five to seven weeks into a pregnancy. | He has also expressed support for the use of RU-486, an abortion pill opposed by the pro-life community since it is typically administered five to seven weeks into a pregnancy. |
Conservatives, at least for now, do not seem to be troubled by Carson’s past record on abortion, which the candidate has sought to explain within the context of his professional background. A faction of Republican primary voters instead seem electrified by yet another outsider intent on taking leaders in Washington to task. | Conservatives, at least for now, do not seem to be troubled by Carson’s past record on abortion, which the candidate has sought to explain within the context of his professional background. A faction of Republican primary voters instead seem electrified by yet another outsider intent on taking leaders in Washington to task. |
“There appears to be a strong contingent of ‘anyone that is not of DC’ voters in the primary, people who want something new, and they keep rearranging themselves among Trump, Carly [Fiorina], and Carson, with a few landing on [Ted] Cruz or [Rand] Paul,” Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist who is not affiliated with any 2016 candidates, told the Guardian. “I do think some other tier one candidates have an opportunity to tap into this earlier than later, though. There will be peaks and valleys all around.” | “There appears to be a strong contingent of ‘anyone that is not of DC’ voters in the primary, people who want something new, and they keep rearranging themselves among Trump, Carly [Fiorina], and Carson, with a few landing on [Ted] Cruz or [Rand] Paul,” Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist who is not affiliated with any 2016 candidates, told the Guardian. “I do think some other tier one candidates have an opportunity to tap into this earlier than later, though. There will be peaks and valleys all around.” |
While Carson is personally wealthy due to his success as a surgeon and service on several corporate boards, he is no Trump. | |
Whereas Trump does not have to rely on fundraising, Carson’s fledging political career has been plagued by a number of super PACs which use his name to raise money from of the conservative faithful. | |
One organization, the Draft Ben Carson Committee, raised $12.2m in the period before he announced his campaign and spent $12m of that total, mostly on fundraising. Its successor, the 2016 Committee, spends large sums of money on pro-Carson billboards and distributing copies of a book, written by one of the group’s leaders, arguing why Carson can win. These activities have siphoned money, energy and volunteer resources away from the Carson campaign and undermined efforts to directly promote his candidacy. | |
The chaos caused by this superPAC was so great that many top Carson staffers left his campaign in June to set up their own separate group in order to steer supporters away and lead a more professional outside effort. | |
Carson nonetheless appears unfazed and has pressed on in his bid to dethrone Trump as the official Republican frontrunner. He embarked on a tour of the US-Mexico border on Wednesday, tapping into the contentious issue of immigration that Trump has exploited to great success since launching his own campaign. | |
The first crowd to meet Carson in Arizona on Tuesday was so large, his campaign said, that they were forced to switch venues. Roughly 12,000 people reportedly showed up at the rally in Phoenix, topping the crowd that turned up to see Trump at the same space just last month. | The first crowd to meet Carson in Arizona on Tuesday was so large, his campaign said, that they were forced to switch venues. Roughly 12,000 people reportedly showed up at the rally in Phoenix, topping the crowd that turned up to see Trump at the same space just last month. |
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