Dr. Ben Carson Tops Poll of Black Criminal Justice Reform Advocates

MERRIFIELD, Va., Nov. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2016 Committee, a political action committee raising awareness and support for Dr. Ben Carson's campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, congratulates Dr. Carson for winning the Republican straw poll at the 2015 Presidential Justice Forum, held Nov. 21-22 at Allen University in Columbia, S.C.

"It's no secret the Republican Party has historically struggled to earn support from the African-American community," said John Phillip Sousa IV, chairman of The 2016 Committee. "Dr. Carson is the party's best chance to connect with that important voting bloc, not because he is black, but because he is uniquely capable of uniting Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds behind his vision for healing our nation. Dr. Carson's longtime supporters have known this from the beginning, and his strong support among African-Americans and Latinos in recent polls shows it to be true."

The forum was organized by 20/20 Leaders of America, a diverse, bipartisan group of black mayors, city, county and state officials; prosecutors and defense attorneys; political strategists; and police chiefs and other law enforcement united to elevate issues disproportionately affecting communities of color above partisan politics.

The first-of-its-kind straw poll gauged which campaigns have made the most progress with reaching black voters on the critical issue of justice reform, according to the 20/20 Leaders of America.

Dr. Carson topped the Republican candidate straw poll, earning 37 percent of the votes. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida placed second with 21 percent, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich placed third with 11 percent. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont won the Democratic candidate straw poll with 65 percent of the vote, compared to 23 percent for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 12 percent for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The results of the poll can be viewed here: http://bet.us/1lK4kTl

About The 2016 Committee

The 2016 Committee is a political action committee raising awareness of and support for Dr. Ben Carson's campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. For more information, visit www.2016committee.org or connect on Twitter @DraftRunBenRun or Facebook/RunBenRun.org.

SOURCE The 2016 Committee

Related Links

http://www.2016committee.org