Poll: More than half of Republican voters support either Donald Trump or Ben Carson


Two different kinds of "offices" are leading the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Donald Trump (aka business office) is backed by 32 percent of Republican voters in the latest CNN/ORC national poll and Ben Carson (aka doctor's office) rakes in a clean 19 percent, a 10-point jump for him since last month, Politico reports. Taken together, Trump and Carson earn the support of more than half of Republican voters; notably, neither of them has ever held elected office.
Those that have — former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — are all polling under 10 percent, with Bush leading the group and Walker trailing. All other candidates were excluded due to margin of error, about plus or minus 4.5 percentage points from a September 4-8 survey of 474 self-identified Republicans or right-leaning independents.
Later on Thursday, CNN plans to report the lineup of its next televised debate, which will be held in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, California, on September 16. The prime-time event is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be free to stream; candidates who have had an average polling position in the top 10 since the first debate will be on the main stage.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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