Behind Carson’s Plunge in the Polls

Rick Klein: “If there’s a Paris effect in the GOP race, it looks like Ben Carson is the one feeling it – and not Donald Trump. The new Quinnipiac poll out Wednesday morning shows Carson down 7 points over the past month, with Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz now in a virtual tie with him for second place. His numbers have suffered across the board, but this may be the most telling: Republicans saw him as having the right experience to be president, 64-30, a month ago; now that’s 42-46 – turned around and underwater.”

“It’s no collapse, but it’s a major warning sign for a candidate with weak credentials on foreign policy and national security, notwithstanding a trip to a Syrian refugee camp right after Thanksgiving. This is another factor that makes the Ted Cruz-Marco Rubio rivalry fascinating and important. If Carson supporters are up for grabs, it’s those two senators who seem, for now, best positioned to take advantage.”