Ben Carson, Donald Trump
Ben Carson, Donald TrumpReuters

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has outpaced his competitor Donald Trump in a survey published Tuesday, marking the first time Trump has not led the Republicans since the surveys began in June.

The New York Times CBS News poll gave the retired neurosurgeon Carson a full 26% of support, as opposed to Trump's 22%.

Coming in a distant third, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) received 8%, while former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina tied at 7%.

Four other candidates, including Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, all tied at 4%. The poll was conducted from October 21 to 25 and included 575 Republican primary voters.

The poll solidifies signs that Carson is beating out Trump, after three polls were conducted in Iowa showing Carson outpacing Trump for the first time. Iowa is the first state to vote in the primaries.

However, the new poll does not come without its question marks. The margin of error stands at 6%, and no less than seven in ten said they were not yet sure who they would eventually vote for, with only 28% decided.

On Wednesday a third Republican candidate debate will take place, and possibly impact the results further.

Carson has been gaining ground despite his low-key manner by making several forceful statements. He has called US President Barack Obama anti-Semitic, opposed the notion of a Muslim president in the US, and said if Jews were armed it may have prevented the Holocaust.