Carson edges Trump in national poll

Ben Carson has edged out fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in a new national poll, taking the top spot from the real estate mogul for the first time in months.

{mosads}Carson is supported by 26 percent of GOP primary voters, followed by Trump at 22 percent, according to the CBS News/New York Times poll released early Tuesday.

All other candidates follow in the single digits, with Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) at 8 percent and businesswoman Carly Fiorina and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7 percent each.

The poll represents growing momentum for Carson, who surpassed Trump in several polls in the early voting state of Iowa over the past week ahead of the next GOP debate on Wednesday.

“Ben Carson is now doing well,” Trump acknowledged on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” after the poll came out, adding that he believed Carson would see more scrutiny as a front-runner.

“I don’t get it,” Trump said of losing his lead in Iowa, noting that he would be campaigning in the Hawkeye State later Tuesday.

“We seem to have hit a chord … but some of these polls coming out, I don’t quite get it,” he added.

Carson has gained 5 points since a CBS/NYT poll earlier this month, while Trump has dropped 5 points. Carson also now leads Trump by more than 20 points among evangelicals.

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ohio Gov. John Kasich each get 4 percent support in the new poll.

The latest survey of 575 GOP primary voters, conducted Oct. 21-25 via landlines and cellphones, has a margin of error of 6 points.

This report was updated at 8:13 a.m.

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