WASHINGTON (AP) – Responding to Ben Carson’s surge in Iowa, Donald Trump said Tuesday he’ll stick with the presidential race, even if he loses the luxury of running from atop the polls.
“I’m in it to the end,” Trump said in a phone interview with MSNBC. Asked if he could stomach running from behind, the billionaire businessman who likes to boast “I’m a winner” sounded unusually introspective. He conceded he might lose his bid for the Republican nomination.
“It’s certainly a possibility that I won’t make it,” he said. “I’ll still be proud of my effort because I think I’ve done very well. I’m not a politician; I’ve run so far a great race.”
With Carson, who like Trump has never held public office, threatening his lead nationally, Trump said it may be the retired surgeon’s turn to face the heat. “A lot of things will come out now and we’ll see how he holds up to the scrutiny,” Trump said.
But Trump said he still holds a big advantage over Carson and his more politically experienced rivals such as Jeb Bush: “I’ve got more money than anybody.”
“At the right time,” he said, “I’m willing to spend whatever is necessary.”
According to the latest national CBS News/New York Times Poll, Ben Carson has surpassed Donald Trump and now narrowly leads the Republican field in the race for the nomination. Support for Carson has quadrupled since August, with 26 percent of Republican primary voters backing Carson, giving him a four-point edge over Trump (22 percent).
The rest of the Republican presidential candidates lag far behind in single digits. Marco Rubio is now in third place (8 percent), followed by Jeb Bush (7 percent) and Carly Fiorina (7 percent). All other candidates are at 4 percent or lower.
Trump is still seen as most electable, however. According to the polls:
- Bolstered by increased support from evangelical voters, Ben Carson (26 percent) has risen to the top of the field in the race for the Republican nomination, edging out Donald Trump (22 percent).
- Still, Trump continues to be viewed as the candidate most likely to win a general election. While more than half of his voters say their minds are made up, 79 percent of Carson’s voters could change their minds.
- 48 percent of Republican primary voters would enthusiastically back Carson if he was the party’s nominee, compared to 29 percent for Trump. Only 18 percent would enthusiastically support Jeb Bush.
- Republican primary voters pick strong leadership (41 percent) and honesty (37 percent) as the most important qualities in their choice of a nominee.
The candidates will have to win America’s trust to obtain the votes.
According to the CBS News/New York Times polls, Republican voters are divided as to whether they see the federal government as mostly a protector of or mostly a threat to their life and liberty. But among very conservative Republicans, two thirds see the federal government as a threat. Only 33 percent of Americans overall view the federal government as a threat:
- The poll suggests a vein of skepticism about the federal government among Republicans. Half see it as a threat to their life and liberty, six in 10 think the federal government is violating their constitutional rights, and 34 percent are angry at the government. Those who say they are very conservative hold views that are even more negative about the federal government: 64 percent see it as a threat.
- More specifically, 49 percent of Republicans are very concerned about the federal government interfering with people freely practicing their religion, and 43 percent think it is very likely that stricter gun laws will lead to the federal government taking away guns from people who legally own them.
- Three in four Republican voters think the U.S. political system is not working because of all the gridlock. And while 56 percent want Republicans in Congress to compromise in order to get things done, 39 percent of Republican voters, and 59 percent of those who are very conservative, want their representatives to stick to their positions rather than compromise.
- Congressman Paul Ryan has a net favorable rating among Republican voters, and views of him are most positive among very conservative Republicans. More Republican voters disapprove than approve of the job John Boehner is doing as Speaker of the House.
- Three in four Republican voters describe the Republican Party as divided, though 64 percent are nevertheless optimistic about their party’s future.
