[SamAdams76]

I'm not totally buying that Ben Carson is really at 18%. I'm thinking Carson is a safe haven for Trump supporters to park their vote while still they are still coming to terms with the fact that they are supporting Trump.

As Carson is also a non-politician, it's a politically correct way to say "I don't support the establishment GOP" with the added bonus of saying you are voting for a black man as opposed to a billionaire loudmouth.

While Ben Carson is certainly a fine man who is worthy of a serious look, I'm thinking that these strong poll showings is coming from "closet Trump supporters."

[BFAM]

“I’m not totally buying that Ben Carson is really at 18%.”

For some reason I don’t by that either. Maybe a fudging of the numbers?

[Red Steel]

It is a Bloomberg poll. The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg have no love loss for Trump.

[AustinBill]

There is a certain good cop / bad cop dynamic between Carson and Trump, so you may be onto something. But the main message is that the public is tired of the professional political class and their empty promises. We'll see how things hold up.

That being said, I just don't see how Carson is presidential material. Director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins is an important and prestigious post, but it's hardly the sort of executive experience that qualifies one to take on the task of reforming the Federal government.