Ben Carson stands to become the first man to be called President M.D. The doctor joined the large crowd vying for the Republican Presidential Nomination during a rally in his hometown of Detroit earlier this year. Now he finds himself ahead of career politicians without ever holding an elected position, with the only person in front of him being Donald Trump. Dr. Carson is the voice of many conservatives around the nation which has propelled him into a double-digit polling number in Iowa and New Hampshire. Here are five reasons he connects with so many.
1. The man is a hardworking genius.
During his early childhood, Ben Carson was ranked last in his class. When his mother found out, she started to limit his time outside until his homework was done. He would also have to read two books a week with an extensive report. A yearning for knowledge developed and Carson went from the bottom to the being accepted as an undergraduate to Yale University. After graduation he received his M.D. from University of Michigan and was a resident of Johns Hopkins University Medical Center.
2. He's all about education, education, and more education.
Dr. Carson is a huge proponent of education. He fully believes this is the key to rebuilding America and passing on a strong America to our children. During an interview on "The View," he stated that, "One of the things that is critical about the welfare of this nation is knowledge." Our nation is falling behind in the international community regardless of the subject. Carson sees education as a way out for people in poverty just as it was for him.
3. He's an advocate for children.
Continuing on education, he is a profound believer in making this nation stronger by investing in the children of this nation. With a strong foundation for American children, they can build the nation we read about in history books, and this is fully supported by Ben Carson. The Carson Scholars Fund has helped provide education to over 7,000 children.
4. Faith is a strong influence in his life.
During his youth, Carson had an extremely dark temper. His actions scared him so much that he locked himself in a room asking for guidance. Since then he has been a strong man of God which excites the conservative side of the Republican party. This is fueling his ride to the nomination while also grounding him in the world of faith, a world that a whole lot of Americans also reside in.
5. Everyone likes an underdog.
Until the first Republican debate, Ben Carson was polling in the lower single digits. Then, several questions over interrogation and race gained a lot of attention inside the party, and across the nation. Now he is second in the polls and has gained strong support on social media from all ages. Unlike Trump, he did not have the large national name recognition until the debate skyrocketed him into the lime light. He is the underdog non-politician, and making headway with all groups.
Dr. Ben Carson has built a strong foundation to launch a national campaign on. Without insulting others and using witty language to get his point across, he has built a connection to many Americans across the nation. Will we have our first doctor-as-President? We shall see. But a showdown is looming between a neurosurgeon and a businessman for the Republican nomination. Neither has political experience, yet they are running away with the race, and away from the pack. It will be a fun couple of months.