![Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks to the press after speaking at the Commonwealth Club at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, California, September 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stephen Lam](https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55f6fa659dd7cc22008ba238-711-533/candidate-carson-tours-ferguson-says-lack-of-respect-not-race-is-issue-2015-9.jpg)
Thomson Reuters
Republican presidential candidate Carson speaks to the press after speaking at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco
$4 released Monday again shows real-estate mogul Donald Trump leading the pack, with 28% of the vote among likely Republican voters.
But it's Carson who has made the biggest strides over the past two months. According to the poll, 17% of likely Republican primary voters responded that if the first-in-the-nation primary were held today, they'd support Carson.
That's up 12 points from Monmouth's July poll of the Granite State. It puts him 6 points ahead of the third-place candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), who nabbed 11% in Monday's poll.
The poll also shows that Carson has lots of room to grow.
His image is far more positive than most other candidates - 73% of Republicans said they hold favorable opinions of Carson, while only 10% view him in a negative light. He's also the top second-choice candidate among New Hampshire Republicans.
Carson's $4 seemingly haven't been lost on Trump. The real-estate mogul has recently $4, saying he does not have the "energy" necessary to be president.
"He's surging, but he's way behind me," Trump said of Carson.
"I don't think Ben has the energy," $4. "Ben is a nice man, but when you're negotiating against China and you're negotiating against these Japanese guys that are going to come against you in waves, and they think we're all a bunch of jerks 'cause our leaders are so stupid and so incompetent and so inept, we need people that are really smart, that have tremendous deal-making skills and that have great, great energy."
Thomson Reuters U.S. Republican presidential candidate Trump addresses a Tea Party rally against the Iran nuclear deal at the U.S. Capitol in Washington
Trump and Carson are both benefiting from a clear trend toward non-establishment candidates among Republican voters, as the Monmouth poll displays.
The vast majority of Republican voters in the Granite State are seemingly uninterested in established politicians - Monday's poll showed that 68% of Republican voters preferred the next candidate to come from outside of government.
This is particularly bad news for more establishment-minded candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).
Both have poured a significant amount of time into campaigning in New Hampshire, but have so far failed to see their support materialize. Bush's support, for example, has dropped to 7% support from 12% in July, putting him in a tie for fifth place. Christie's support, meanwhile, is down to just 2%.