--- title: Poll: Ben Carson Ahead In National GOP Race description: A majority of voters would choose Carson as either their first or second choice canonical: https://time.com/4098308/ben-carson-poll/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-03T17:26:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:41:51.014Z article:section: Politics og:title: Poll: Ben Carson Ahead In GOP National Race og:description: A majority of voters would choose Carson as either their first or second choice og:url: https://time.com/4098308/ben-carson-poll/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ce836590740ee44/69886f62524fc0f5addf54e8/ben-carson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Candidate Ben Carson Campaigns In Colorado Day After Party's Third Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Poll: Ben Carson Ahead In GOP National Race twitter:description: A majority of voters would choose Carson as either their first or second choice twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ce836590740ee44/69886f62524fc0f5addf54e8/ben-carson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson Takes Lead in GOP National Race > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ad023fbb-1e42-478c-8004-22d9db1efca6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Watch Ben Carson Retell His Life Story [Watch (HLS stream): Watch Ben Carson Retell His Life Story](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3PLzGzLI.m3u8) (1:39)  _Published 2015-10-27. GOP Presidential Candidate Ben Carson retells his life story_ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Nov 3, 2015 5:26 PM UTC  Ben Carson speaks during a news conference before a campaign event at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood on Oct. 29, 2015. Ben Carson speaks during a news conference before a campaign event at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood on Oct. 29, 2015. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Nov 3, 2015 5:26 PM UTC Ben Carson is leading the Republican presidential field, according to a poll released Tuesday. An [NBC News/_Wall Street Journal_ poll](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/nbc-wsj-poll-carson-surges-lead-national-gop-race-n456006) finds the retired neurosurgeon has support from 29 percent of GOP primary voters—the largest share of potential voters a Republican has garnered so far. Carson is followed by previous frontrunner Donald Trump at 23 percent, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 11 percent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 10 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at eight percent. His lead is outside the survey’s margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent. The phone survey of 1,000 people was conducted Oct. 25-29, both before and after CNBC’s Republican presidential debate on Oct. 28\. Carson was trailing Trump by 3 points before the debate at 22 percent in the last NBC/WSJ poll conducted in mid-October and the two have been trading places in other national polls over the last month. Carson is also picking up substantial support as a second choice among Republican voters. Taken together, 5o percent of GOP voters would choose Carson for either their first or second choice in the presidential race. Trump had 35 percent, while Rubio captured 24 percent. **Read More:** [_Read the Full Text of the CNBC Republican Debate in Boulder_](http://time.com/4091301/republican-debate-transcript-cnbc-boulder/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4098308/ben-carson-poll/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4098308/ben-carson-poll/"},"headline":"Ben Carson Takes Lead in GOP National Race","datePublished":"2015-11-03T17:26:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:41:51.014Z","description":"A majority of voters would choose Carson as either their first or second choice","url":"https://time.com/4098308/ben-carson-poll/","keywords":["2016 Election","Sen. Marco Rubio","Poll","ted cruz","Polling","Donald Trump","Dr. Benjamin S. 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