Trump way ahead, Carson sliding in NH

by Bradford Richardson - 11/18/15 6:41 PM ET

Ben Carson is failing to gain traction in the early-voting primary state of New Hampshire, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.

The poll has the retired neurosurgeon, who took the lead in several national polls recently, with just 9 percent support in that state.

{mosads}Businessman Donald Trump leads the pack with 27 percent support, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) with 13 percent, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with 11 percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tied with Carson at nine percent.

Prior to the Fox News poll, Carson appeared to be gaining momentum in New Hampshire.

Surveys conducted by Monmouth University and WBUR earlier this month each had Carson drawing 16 percent support among that state’s voters.

But media reports digging into his past and questioning the veracity of his inspiring life story may have caused voters to turn away from Carson.

The Fox News poll was also conducted after the terrorist attack in Paris last week, which could shake up the primary race in favor of candidates with foreign policy experience.

Carson is, however, the favorite second choice among respondents, drawing 16 percent of the runner-up vote.

And voters said they are still largely undecided about whom to support in 2016, with 55 percent saying their choice could change between now and February.

The Fox News poll sampled 804 registered New Hampshire voters from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17. The margin of error for the Republican primary results is 5 percent.

Tags Ben Carson Donald Trump New Hampshire