Dr. Ben Carson surged into third place in July’s Breitbart Primary, showing the strong appeal of non-politicians in this election cycle, especially among Breitbart News readers.
Carson, who finished in fourth place with 7% of the vote in June’s inaugural Breitbart Primary, received 16.6% first-place votes, putting him behind Sen. Ted Cruz (28.3%) and Donald Trump (27%), another non-politician, and ahead of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (10.1%), who finished in second in June’s Breitbart Primary. Carson was also the second choice of 10.1% of voters and the third choice 11.4% of Breitbart Primary voters.
Voting in the Breitbart Primary is reset every month, which means the numbers from July’s Breitbart Primary will be zeroed-out in August, and Breitbart readers are encouraged to vote in August’s Breitbart Primary here.
The results of July’s Breitbart Primary are below:
1. Ted Cruz – 28.3%
2. Donald Trump – 27%
3. Ben Carson – 16.6%
4. Scott Walker – 10.1%
5. Rand Paul – 6.5%
6. Carly Fiorina – 3.1%
7. Marco Rubio – 1.9%
8. Rick Perry – 1.5%
9. John Kasich – 1.1%
10. Bobby Jindal – 1.1%
11. Mitt Romney – .9%
12. Mike Huckabee -.6%
13. Jeb Bush – .5%
14. Rick Santorum – .4%
15. Chris Christie – .1%
16. Lindsey Graham – .1%
17. George Pataki – .05%
Carson, who will be answering questions from Breitbart News readers (questions can be submitted here), has appealed to conservative grassroots voters who are frustrated with Washington, D.C., the Republican establishment, and career politicians with his life story, outsider status, and straight-talk on issues dealing with race, class, and poverty.
Trump has been surging in the polls because Americans are attracted to a businessman from outside of the traditional political system, and Carson indicated on Sunday that Trump’s ascent is also helping his candidacy. When asked on Meet The Press whether Trump’s success is helping or hurting his candidacy, Carson said Trump’s rise is “a tremendous help because fewer people are talking about my lack of political experience now.”
“And that’s good because… experience can come from a variety of different places,” Carson said. “And certainly the life that you have led… in my case…. solving complex problems, being involved in corporate America, starting a national nonprofit, you get an enormous amount of experience doing these things, particularly in solving problems. And, you know, it’s an erroneous thought that only political experience is expedient.”
In a recent Breitbart News Sunday interview, Carson said that “in order to solve problems, you need wisdom and a record of being able to solve complex problems” and that “doesn’t necessarily come from sitting in political offices for long periods of time.”
“There are a lot of people in Washington who have held political office for decades,” Carson said. “I really don’t see them doing a lot to move the country forward.”
Carly Fiorinia, another non-politiican, finished in sixth place and continued to do better in the Breitbart Primary than traditional politicians like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and others.
Carson and Trump will be on the main stage against more traditional politicians in Thursday’s Fox News GOP presidential primary debate, and Carson has said he is relishing the chance to prove his doubters wrong during the presidential debate season.