CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Detroit native Dr. Ben Carson polled the highest in a straw poll during the summer meeting Sunday of the State Executive Committee.
The pediatric neurosurgeon placed first with 13.6 percent of the vote, followed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 12.8 pecent, and Carly Fiorina with 12.5 percent.
“Part of what frustrates many people is the endless yelling back and forth with no pretense of trying to find a solution,” said Carson senior strategist and West Virginia native Ed Brookover. “So Dr. Carson’s style does play well with many people thinking how are we going to change things and how are we going to get something done.”
Brookover said Carson hasn’t gotten the attention that Donald Trump has over the past couple months; Trump finished fourth in the poll. West Virginia GOP Chairman Conrad Lucas says the support for Carson is based on his different style.
“It reflects a lot of the sentiment around West Virginia and around the country right now,” Lucas said. “Folks are really looking for a political outsider; someone providing a different method.”
Brookover thought that given the fact that Carson has had some early success in the polls, there was no reason for him to change his approach.
“The best thing our campaign has going for us is when Dr. Carson gets to speak directly to the American public,” Brookover said. “We’ll keep putting him out there and let him talk about his solutions to healthcare, the national debt and tax reform. As the people hear him we believe he’ll continue to gain support.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tied for fifth in the poll with 22 votes each.
The 2016 Republican National Convention will be next July 18-21.