Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has a 4-point lead over retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in the first-in-the-south state of South Carolina, according to a new poll out of the Palmetto State.
Mr. Trump led the 2016 GOP field with 23 percent, followed by Mr. Carson at 19 percent, said a Clemson University Palmetto poll released Tuesday.
Sen. Marco Rubio was next at 9 percent, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 8 percent, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7 percent and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at 6 percent.
No candidate was above 3 percent, and 15 percent were undecided.
Mr. Carson appeared to be the best-liked candidate, with 85 percent reporting a positive opinion of him, compared to 7 percent with a negative one. Mr. Trump’s 54 percent/32 percent split put him in the middle of the pack.
GOP voters also seemed to be placing less of an emphasis on experience as a prerequisite for the job, compared to new ideas and a different approach. Just 8 percent said experience and a proven track record is most important to them in choosing a candidate, compared to 24 percent who said new ideas and a different approach are the most important.
Sixty-four percent did say both are equally important.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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