Last month, Republican presidential aspirant Ben Carson pledged to overtake and snatch the party nomination from frontrunner Donald Trump as the race to the White House heats up in the coming months.
Carson's camp said they're using the "slipstream" strategy, which means allowing Trump to enjoy his lead for most parts of the race before stepping on the gas in the homestretch to overtake the erstwhile leader.
Carson's camp also said they're employing "positive" campaigning as opposed to the business tycoon's tendency to attract controversy.
The retired neurosurgeon's strategy seemed to be working as reflected in the latest Fox News survey conducted from Oct. 10 to 12, 2015.
The poll showed Carson with a 23-percent rating, just one percentage point behind Trump's 24 percent.
Carson's rating improved by five percentage points from his figures last September. In contrast, Trump's figures decreased by two percentage points.
Fox reported that support for Carson rose because "he is seen by voters as being more ethical than others."
Carson is also emerging as a winnable candidate when pitted against Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton. In a hypothetical match-up between Carson and Clinton, the Republican candidate has a 50-39 percent winning margin.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio, meanwhile, remained in third place in the Republican presidential race, with support for him at a stable 9 percent. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was in fourth place, with 8 percent.
Former business executive Carly Fiorina, who was previously tied with Rubio at third following her commendable performance in the Republican debates, dropped to fifth place. She is now tied with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.
Other Republican presidential aspirants included in the survey were: Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (3 percent), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (1 percent), Ohio Governor John Kasich (1 percent), New York Governor George Pataki (1 percent), and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (1 percent).
