Three Reasons It’s Hard to Attack Ben Carson

Byron York: “The first is likability. Carson’s personal favorability ratings with Republican voters are through the roof, easily the best in the field. Whoever attacks him would by definition have a lower favorability rating than Carson, and the fear is that such an attack would just drive the attacker’s rating lower and Carson’s higher.”

“The second is fairness. Carson hasn’t gone after his fellow candidates. Indeed, part of his appeal is that he has specifically eschewed Republican-on-Republican violence… So far, at least, Carson has particularly impressed those voters who want to see Republicans attack Democrats, and not each other.”

“The third reason is race, and it is by far the most complicated. Carson is the only black candidate in the contest. Republican voters admire his rise-from-poverty life story, and Carson represents a chance for the GOP to connect with black voters in a way the party hasn’t done in generations.”