Republican nominee Ben Carson makes Chicago fundraising stop

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Republican presidential nominee Dr. Ben Carson made a fundraising stop in Chicago Thursday.

The Carson campaign is surging with a new poll suggesting more voters are now listing the soft-spoken neurosurgeon - another non-politician - as their top choice for the Republican nomination.

"They actually want people who have a record of getting things done and particularly getting very difficult things done," Carson said.

In his speech, Carson - who grew up in an impoverished Detroit neighborhood - remembered his own youthful anger that caused him at one point to try and stab another person.

"There I was trying to kill somebody. Over nothing," Carson said.

As president, he would focus White House efforts to end violence in cities like Chicago.

"All of us need to be investing in the people who are creating these problems," Carson said.

"I suspect he just has other priorities," Carson said in regards to if Barack Obama had done enough to address city violence.

His Christian audience applauded several times during his speech as Dr. Carson credited God for his surgical skill.

"I'm happy that he's not afraid to let his faith be known," said Jared Richey, a student.

And the African American candidate's race apparently has not affected his support early in the campaign.

"It suggests to you that the Republican Party is not as racist as a lot of Democrats want to paint it," said Rev. Dr. Eric Wallace, Freedom's Journal Institute.