(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push(["_mgc.load"])})(window,"_mgq");NBC Nightly News ran a Tuesday feature on Carson, telling some of his life-story and youthful indiscretions before his religious conversion.
"Ben Carson has just been sort of in the slip-stream avoiding the spotlight, avoiding the scrutiny, and moving up in the polls," Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report told NBC Nightly News.
The largely positive profile of Carson implied the retired surgeon is a figure that naturally resonates with Evangelical voters.
Carson told Megyn Kelly that the situation with Kim Davis refusing to issue marriage licenses in Rowan County, Kentucky and her jailing "is a serious question." He called on the other branches of government "to pitch in and correct the situation." Carson said that Christian dissent based on faith "is a very basic right."
"A lot of our values and principles our based on our Judeo-Christian faith," said Carson. "When there are substantial numbers of people who actually believe in the traditional definition of marriage, I'm one of them, doesn't mean other people can't do what they are going to do, but I actually believe they have the right to force their way of life on everybody else, nor would I try and force my way of life on anyone else."
Carson said it requires "a little bit of effort" and "intellect" to protect the rights and conscience of all Americans.
Carson credited the recent debate on Fox to his rise in the polls: "As I've been going around the country and talking to people, they are able to see perhaps there is some substance there."
Carson said he has a vision of America that is shaped by a lot of citizens in the country, adding that he received a warm welcome Tuesday in San Francisco, typically not known for being a hotbed of conservatism.
The retired neurosurgeon also predicted on the Kelly Report that Hillary Clinton would not be the nominee of the Democrat Party: "She's become quite apparent to the people, as much as I'd like her to be nominee of their party, she's just going to continue to sink."
Carson said "there are a lot of possibilities" that Democrats can pull from and "Democrats have more sense to put up somebody who won't win regardless of who she is running against." Carson added the obvious choice is Vice President Joe Biden but "they get better get started pretty quickly."
