Ben Carson, The Other Republican Outsider On The Rise
Donald Trump isn't the only political outsider who's been having a good summer. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is gaining in several polls — especially in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa, where evangelical voters play a big role.
The latest Iowa Poll, sponsored by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg, showed Carson in second place at 18 percent, behind Trump's 23 percent among likely GOP caucusgoers. Carson is also a popular second choice and was the best-liked candidate in the GOP primary.
On the stump, Carson often talks about his belief in God and his opposition to abortion. He has compared it to slavery and accused Planned Parenthood of targeting African-Americans.
At the Iowa State Fair last month, Carson stopped by the Iowa Right to Life booth, where anti-abortion activists were handing out tiny scale models of 12-week-old fetuses to fairgoers.
Carson looks at a display of fetus models at the "Iowa Right to Life" booth at the Iowa State Fair.
"That really does bring it home for people, doesn't it?" Carson said.
Carson's message — and his rags-to-riches story — seems to be resonating with conservative Iowa voters. He talks of growing up in Detroit with a hard-working single mother who pushed him to earn top grades in school. For that, he told fairgoers, his classmates called him a nerd and an "Uncle Tom."
"But I would always shut them up by saying, 'Let's see what you're doing in 20 years, and let's see what I'm doing in 20 years,' " Carson said, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd.
When he graduated, Carson says his peers voted him, "Most Likely to Succeed."
"Which means they knew what was important," he said. "They were too lazy and trifling to do it themselves."
Carson went on to a career as a pediatric neurosurgeon famous for his pioneering work to separate conjoined twins — an impressive resume, however unconventional for a presidential candidate. He has never held elective office.
He's one of several Republicans who is appealing to Iowa evangelicals, said Bob Vander Plaats of the conservative Christian group, The Family Leader. He calls Carson a "breath of fresh air" and the "essence of the American Dream."
"First of all, being raised by a single mom, who was raised in what a lot of people would call the wrong side of the tracks, less than an ideal environment — but his mom put extremely high expectations on him," Vander Plaats said. "He studied. He worked hard, and he pursued his dream, and he was leading in his field of expertise."
Vander Plaats added that Carson's performance in last month's Republican primary debate helped vault him near the top of the polls. He said Iowans are also tired of the political establishment, as evidenced by the polling strength of Trump, Carson and another newcomer, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
"They're tired of politics as usual," he said. "They're looking for real leadership with real life experience, and not someone who was groomed in the Washington, D.C., machine."
Ben Carson poses for a photo with a fairgoer at the Iowa State Fair in August.
Brad Pellett of Atlantic, Iowa, said Carson's outsider status is appealing,
"I like the fact that he seems like a very genuine, down to earth, honest individual," Pellett said.
Pellett said he worries about his three children's future, and he likes the way Carson talks about reining in the federal debt. Pellett isn't worried about Carson's lack of political experience; he says Carson is smart, and he could put together a team of experts to help him get things done.
"I think we have to get out of the political realm to solve the political problems that we've got," he said.
Pollster J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the Iowa poll, said when it comes to politicians, "the mood is sour" among voters, and that's allowing for the success of political outsiders right now.
"For every candidate, their supporters were more likely to say, they'll figure it out once they're in office," Selzer said. "So for now they're kind of voting on gut instinct, that this is the person who has the right approach, and the positions will take care of themselves."
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Transcript
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The desire for an outsider in the presidential race isn't just propelling Donald Trump. Another non-politician has been gaining ground among GOP voters - retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. He's the only African-American running for president. As NPR's Sarah McCammon reports, Carson's support has been especially strong in Iowa, where evangelical voters play a big role.
SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: On the stump, Ben Carson often talks about his unusual path to a presidential campaign and his belief in God.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BEN CARSON: We have to stop listening to these people who tell us that we cannot talk about God, we cannot talk about our faith.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAMMON: He also talks frequently about abortion. He's compared it to slavery and accused Planned Parenthood of targeting African-Americans. At the Iowa State Fair last month, Carson stopped by the Iowa Right to Life booth where abortion opponents like Jenifer Bowen were handing out tiny scale models of 12-week-old fetuses.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CARSON: That really does bring it home for people, doesn't it?
JENIFER BOWEN: Doesn't it? And then we give away the 12-week baby models. We wrap those and give them away - about 13,000 a fair, so...
CARSON: Wonderful, wonderful.
MCCAMMON: It's a popular message among Iowa conservatives, and so is his rags-to-riches story of growing up in Detroit with a hard-working single mother who pushed him to work hard in school. For that, he told Iowa State fairgoers last month, his classmates called him a nerd and an Uncle Tom.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CARSON: But I would always shut them up by saying, let's see what you're doing in 20 years, and let's see what I'm doing in 20 years. And they must have believed me...
(APPLAUSE)
CARSON: ...Because when I graduated from high school, they all voted me most likely to succeed, which means they knew what was important. They were too lazy and trifling to do it themselves.
MCCAMMON: Carson went on to a career as a pediatric neurosurgeon famous for his pioneering work to separate conjoined twins, an impressive resume, however unconventional, for a presidential candidate. Carson is one of several Republicans who's appealing to Iowa evangelicals, says Bob Vander Plaats of the conservative Christian group The Family Leader. He calls Carson a breath of fresh air.
BOB VANDER PLAATS: First of all, being raised by a single mom in what a lot of people would call the wrong side of the tracks, he studied; he worked hard, and he pursued his dream. And he was leading in his field of expertise.
MCCAMMON: Vander Plaats says Carson's performance in last month's Republican primary debate helped vault him in the polls. He says Iowans are tired of the establishment. That's true of Brad Pellett of Atlantic, Iowa. He likes the way Carson talks about reigning in the federal debt.
BRAD PELLETT: You know, we've got three young kids, and, again, I think that you got to get out of the political realm to solve the political problems that we've got.
MCCAMMON: Pellett isn't worried about Carson's lack of political experience. He says Carson is smart and he could put together a team of experts to help him get things done. Iowa pollster Ann Selzer says that's what's allowing for the success of political outsiders right now.
ANN SELZER: And for every candidate, their supporters were more likely to say, they'll figure it out once they're in office.
MCCAMMON: Selzer's latest poll shows Carson in second place in Iowa behind Donald Trump. But Carson has the highest favorability rating of all the Republican candidates. In other words, people like him.
SELZER: So for now, they're kind of voting on gut instinct that this is the person who has the right approach, and the positions will take care of themselves.
MCCAMMON: A question for Ben Carson is whether more Iowa voters' guts will tell them to support him over Donald Trump or whether, come caucus time, they'll decide they can stomach a more conventional candidate. Sarah McCammon, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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