LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Ben Carson's genial way of politicking is proving to be a draw for voters who like Donald Trump's status as an outsider but not his belligerence.

The retired neurosurgeon is emerging in polls as a top-tier candidate in the Republican presidential field. But that rise is being eclipsed by the headline-grabbing Trump. The soft-spoken Carson jokes about how little attention his approach is getting.

He addressed more than 2,000 people at a rally in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Thursday. And he's winning over some voters who see him as having a similar philosophy as Trump's but not his rough edges.

A retired lab technician from Little Rock, Paul Wallace, says he's leaning toward backing Carson because "he says what he believes in without being brash about it."