Neurosurgeon Ben Carson has emerged as the new front-runner in the crowded Republican presidential race, with real estate tycoon Donald Trump now following him as the runner up, latest opinion poll has said.
According to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released last evening, 62-year-old Carson has received support from 29 per cent of Republican primary voters.
The African-American doctor with no political experience is followed by Trump at 23 per cent, Marco Rubio at 11 per cent, Ted Cruz at 10 per cent and Jeb Bush at 8 per cent.
No other candidate gets more than three per cent, including Bobby Jindal - the Indian-American.
This is the second successive poll in which Carson is leading the Republican race. Trump had been holding the fort for the past several months.
Last week's New York Times/CBS poll showed Carson in first place in the national Republican contest for the first time. However, according to a new poll released today, Jindal edged past former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in Iowa.
Jindal scored six per cent support in the survey from Public Policy Polling, one percentage point ahead of Bush, a media release said.
So far, Jindal has been relegated to the undercard debate throughout the presidential race. His national popularity is now running less than half a per cent.
While political pundits have given up on him, Jindal still believes he has a chance.
Jindal's 60 per cent favorability rating is tied for third highest in Iowa behind Carson and Cruz. Jindal has campaigned heavily in Iowa for the past several months.
The Journal said that Carson's support has grown steadily during the primary campaign, suggesting that it may prove more durable than for those earlier candidates.
