RUTHFULLY YOURS

Ben Carson has pulled into a statistical margin-of-error tie with Donald Trump in a new CBS News/New York Times poll out today.

The pediatric neurosurgeon has surged to 23 percent among likely Republican primary voters, up from just 6 percent in the same survey in July.

Trump has 27 percent, a slight uptick from 24 percent in July.

Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Marco Rubio all trail with 6 percent. Ted Cruz has 5 percent, Carly Fiorina has 4 percent, and John Kasich and Rand Paul have three percent each. Scott Walker only has 2 percent support, falling from 10 percent in July.

However, just 37 percent say their mind is made up for sure. Sixty-three percent said it’s too early in the cycle to marry a candidate.

In an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Monday, Carson surged to 20 percent with Trump climbing to 33 percent among “registered leaned Republicans.” It was a 14-point hike for Carson since July and 9 points higher for Trump.

Out of those polled, 60 percent said they preferred an “outsider” while 36 preferred experience.

Carson and Trump are coming off a feud last week over faith.

Ben Carson was asked at a rally Wednesday how he differed from Trump. “Probably the biggest thing — I’ve realized where my success has come from and I don’t in anyway deny my faith in God,” Carson said. “My humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life and that’s a very big part of who I am. I don’t get that impression with him. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t get that.”

Trump told CNN the next morning that the neurosurgeon was “perhaps an OK doctor,” adding “you look at his faith and I think you’re not going to find so much.”

“All of a sudden he becomes this great religious figure. I don’t think he’s a great religious figure. I saw him yesterday quoting something and he was quoting on humility and it looked like he had just memorized it about two minutes before he made the quote. So, you know, don’t tell me about Ben Carson,” Trump said. “…I have known Ben Carson, of him, for a long time. I never heard faith was a big thing until just recently when he started running.”

Carson told CNN on Monday he’s “not particularly interested in any person particularly, attacking them. I think we have much better things to do than that.”

“It wasn’t meant as an attack. I was primarily talking about me and what motivates me,” Carson said. “And there were those who took it and revved it into some kind of a big deal. And obviously it was interpreted that way after Mr. Trump heard it. But that simply wasn’t my intention.”