Ben Carson leads Donald Trump in a new national poll of Republican primary voters, knocking the real estate mogul from his top spot for the first time in months.
A New York Times/CBS News survey released Tuesday shows that Carson is the top choice of 26 percent of GOP voters, with Trump winning the backing of 22 percent.
The margin of error for the poll of 575 GOP primary voters is six percent.
Carson, a retired neurosurgeon whose understated style is a sharp contrast to Trump's brashness, had overtaken Trump in polling in the key state of Iowa in recent days. Trump has dismissed the Iowa surveys as inaccurate.
The two unconventional Republicans are the only candidates reaching double digit support in the New York Times/CBS survey.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio received eight percent support, while former HP chief Carly Fiorina and former Florida governor Jeb Bush both got seven percent.
Tied at four percent were Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
