Ben Carson Leads Trump for First Time in New US National Poll

“Carson is now in a virtual tie with recent front-runner Donald Trump”, Rasmussen stated.

He “disappeared” for long stretches and even acknowledged that he has a lot to learn about global affairs. “The real issue is not what are people using to commit violence, but why are they committing the violence”.

“He had his tail between his legs tonight”, said Republican strategist Kevin Madden. It’s fair to surmise at this point that Trump supporters don’t care about his policy chops. Ben Carson, John Kasich, and Jeb Bush all hover around the 10 percent mark.

Fiorina landed a gut punch when she was asked to reply to Trump’s comment in Rolling Stone magazine that suggested Fiorina’s face would make her unelectable.

Discussing the GOP debate on Fox News Radio’s Kilmeade & Friends, Trump said Friday: “I think she’s very robotic”.

Carson said it’s not his persona to attack, and he believes voters will eventually look past his style and be won over by his ideas. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush rounded out the top five with 6 percent. Senator Rubio, who often showcases his own foreign policy expertise, was practically begging the moderators to drill down on Donald Trump and expose him for not knowing anything.

After a debate performance that was steely, self-assured and at times deeply personal, Carly Fiorina’s biggest effect on the contest for the Republican presidential nomination may be to help correct a problem that her party has struggled with in recent elections: how to appeal more effectively to women.

A Morning Consult poll, released Friday, surveyed 504 registered voters who watched Wednesday’s Republican primary debate and has only good news for Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina.

The next day, on the Today Show, Bachmann said a tearful mother had approached her after the debate and said her daughter had become mentally retarded after receiving the HPV vaccine.

“There are 16 candidates right now and as the candidates narrow, that will probably hurt Trump“, he said.

“You wanted it and you did not get it because I was opposed to casino gambling before, during and after, and that’s not, I’m not going to be bought by anybody”, Bush said.