Republican presidential contender Dr. Ben Carson will return to Arkansas for a rally in West Memphis on Friday.
Carson will visit West Memphis High School's Lehr Arena to "share his inspirational story and his vision for our country's future," according to the Carson campaign's website.
Doors open at 4 p.m. for the public rally, which will be held from 6-8 p.m.
It's no surprise that Carson is revisiting the state, said Doyle Webb, chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas.
"We've now had five or six presidential candidates in state," he said. "We anticipate that picking up at a higher clip as we get closer to the March 1 primary."
During May's special session, the Arkansas Legislature moved the state's primary from its traditional spot in late May to March 1. Supporters said the change would mean Arkansas and the seven other Southern states voting that day would play a bigger role in shaping the national presidential debate.
Carson's stop comes as the retired neurosurgeon gains support among Republicans.
About 22 percent of Republican primary voters voters back Carson, according to polling averages provided by Real Clear Politics. That's an increase from 16 percent earlier this month.
According to an average of five polls from the past two weeks, Donald Trump is still the front-runner with about 27 percent of Republicans backing him.
However, a CBS/New York Times poll released Tuesday had Carson leading Trump 26 percent to 22 percent.
"For Ben Carson, that's certainly good news," said Janine Parry, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. "But we all know we shouldn't put a lot of stock in a single poll."
Carson last campaigned in Arkansas in August. From the steps of the Arkansas Capitol, he told more than 2,000 people that politicians are overrated, and personal responsibility lifted him out of poverty.
"I grew up as one of those very poor people, and I'll tell you a secret -- poor people also have pride. Poor people also have dignity," he said. "What they would prefer is that we fix the economy and create a ladder so that they can climb up through their own hard work and become part of the fabric of the strength of America."
On NBC's Meet The Press on Sunday, Carson compared abortion to slavery. On CNN earlier this month, he contended that if Jews were armed in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust would have been "greatly diminished."
Some have criticized his remarks. Carson has decried political correctness.
"It's so hard to break through in a field this large, we're almost back to the adage that no publicity is bad publicity," Parry said. "Any attention is good attention at this point."
Carson's campaign did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Metro on 10/28/2015