Two political outsiders are leading the pack of Republican contenders in the presidential campaign.
While Donald Trump has dominated the headlines, the strong early showing by Dr. Ben Carson is also one of the bigger stories thus far.
Carson kicked off his campaign for the White House on May 4 in Detroit. The retired neurosurgeon has been rising steadily in the polls and is running second to another outsider, Donald Trump.
Why the appeal with Republican voters?
"His story is very motivational to a lot of different people," said Wayne Bradley, director of outreach and engagement for the Michigan Republican Party. "He's someone from Detroit who started off from very humble beginnings, worked very hard and became, probably, one of the very best doctors in the world, so I think that resonates with people. And when you just listen to him, he's a very calm and cerebral person who is always looking for solutions."
According to the latest ABC/Washington Post poll of likely Republican voters, Trump and Carson are distancing themselves from the field. Trump's leads the way at 33%. Carson is next at 20%.
The other candidates, led by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are all in single digits.
"They rise in the polls because they're exciting and new and sometimes the person you know isn't as exciting," said Ronna Romney McDaniel, in explaining the success to date of the two candidates.
Romney McDaniel is the Michigan GOP chairman. On Wednesday, she shared her thoughts on Trump and Carson with WXYZ Editorial Director Chuck Stokes.
"Voters are going to look at each of these candidates and their plans, on things like immigration and national security and the economy and their records and match that up with their own values and decide who is best to lead our country," Romney McDaniel said.
Click her for Chuck's complete interview with Romney McDaniel.
