Ben
Carson West Point controversy divides
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[November 13, 2015]
By Ginger Gibson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican
presidential candidate Ben Carson was viewed less favorably by a
significant portion of Republicans after his claim to have won a
scholarship to West Point was disputed, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos
poll.
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But in one positive sign for the neurosurgeon turned top-tier
candidate, a majority of those polled said the controversy did not
affect their view of him.
After hearing the report questioning Carson's recollections about
the scholarship, 39 percent of Republicans said they had a less
favorable view of him, with 26 percent saying it was “somewhat” less
favorable and 13 percent saying it was “much” less favorable.
The majority of Republicans polled, 51 percent, said it made no
difference. And an additional 10 percent said it gave them a more
favorable view.
The poll also found that it caused concern among those who identify
as independent. Among independents, 19 percent had a somewhat less
favorable view of Carson and 17 percent had a much less favorable
view.
The online poll had a 6 percent credibility interval for Republicans
and 10 percentage points for Independents and was conducted between
Nov. 9 and Nov. 11.
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Carson, who has topped a few recent national polls of Republican
presidential candidates and is holding onto second place in the
Reuters/Ipsos poll, has been the subject of intense scrutiny in
recent weeks. Parts of his biography were called into question by
publications that sought to verify stories in his 1990 autobiography
“Gifted Hands.”
In the book, Carson detailed having received a “full scholarship” to
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His campaign later said
while he never applied or was accepted, he had been told by
leadership in the ROTC program that he would have been accepted had
he applied. West Point provides education and housing to all
students for free.
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Carson has pushed back against efforts by the media to discredit his
biography. He has accused the press of lying about his past.
But the West Point story is not the only one that has surfaced. CNN
published a report questioning Carson’s account of violent episodes
in his youth. The Wall Street Journal published another report
questioning two additional stories, including one where he helped
hide white students during riots at his high school and another
where he was deemed the most “honest” student in a Yale course after
taking a fake exam.
Questions were also raised on Thursday about Carson's relationship
with a Pittsburg dentist who was convicted of felony health care
fraud. Carson, calling the dentist his "very best friend" asked for
the judge to be lenient in sentencing him.
For more on the 2016 U.S. presidential race and to learn about the
undecided voters who determine elections, visit the Reuters website.
(http://www.reuters.com/election2016/the-undecided/)
(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Christian Plumb)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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