FORT MILL, S.C. — Ben Carson was riding high in the race for the Republican presidential nomination a month ago, a soft-spoken candidate with an uplifting biography and the outsider credibility that is in fashion this year. His calm demeanor seemed to be a soothing alternative for conservative voters who were not enamored with the idea of Donald J. Trump in the White House.
But after weeks of carnage inflicted by terrorists in France, Mali and Lebanon, doubts about Mr. Carson’s knowledge of the world have reversed his momentum. Now the retired neurosurgeon, whose sudden rise in polls surprised many, is being forced to regroup in the face of mounting evidence that voters are not sold on him.
A new national poll from Quinnipiac University on Wednesday confirmed that Republican voters are keeping their options open. Tied with Mr. Trump in early November, Mr. Carson’s support was down seven percentage points, leaving him essentially tied for second place with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Support for Mr. Trump, who continues to lead, grew to 27 percent from 24 percent last month.
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“Carson is failing the commander in chief test that Republican primary voters have, especially around national security issues like the recent terrorist attack in Paris,” said Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist who is not affiliated with any of the presidential candidates. “He is simply unable to convey a cohesive message to voters.”
On Wednesday, days after Mr. Trump bungled an announcement of an expected endorsement from 100 black pastors, a group of 16 pastors gathered at a sports complex in Spartanburg, S.C., to sing Mr. Carson’s praises. David Berman, a pastor from New Hampshire, said he had traveled “to endorse a man that I find to be honest.”
At a town hall event in Fort Mill, S.C., on Wednesday, Mr. Carson focused heavily on foreign policy, beginning his remarks with stories of his recent visit with Syrian refugees in Jordan. He returned from the trip with a policy proposal: The refugees should stay in Jordan and not be housed in the United States.
“All of the people who are saying we need to bring Syrian refugees to our country obviously aren’t seeing what is available to them over there,” Mr. Carson said, suggesting that the United States offer financial support so that Jordan could better care for people fleeing the civil war in Syria.
While Mr. Trump has been impervious to controversy or missteps thus far, Mr. Carson is starting to pay the price for learning presidential politics on the fly. Questions about his readiness were amplified recently when hisforeign policy adviser admitted that the candidate was struggling to absorb the subject matter. Mr. Carson also stumbled when he seemed to compare Syrian refugees to “rabid dogs,” and his impromptu international trip gave some the appearance that he was cramming for the job of president.
Further signs of strain within the Carson team emerged on Wednesday when The Wall Street Journal reported that Bill Millis, a top fund-raiser who serves on the campaign’s board of directors, had resigned, and that Terry Giles, another top adviser, had been pushed out. Mr. Carson dismissed the departures at a brief news conference in Spartanburg.
The Quinnipiac survey, which echoed a decline Mr. Carson was seeing in Iowa, is trouble for him on two fronts. His support among evangelicals fell by 13 percentage points in the past month, while his backing from voters who say “strong leadership qualities” are most important fell by 14 points. Those voters appear to be shifting to Mr. Cruz or to Mr. Rubio, who has done well demonstrating his foreign policy knowledge in debates.
Mr. Carson’s weakness since the Paris attacks has been sizable. Only 40 percent of Republicans in the Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday said that he had the right experience to be president, far below the majorities who thought Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump had the right experience. The same survey revealed that Mr. Carson’s slide might continue: 71 percent of his supporters said they might change their minds, the highest for any of the four leading candidates.
“Trump, even when he misspeaks, voters see him as someone who projects strength and confidence,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist who served on Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008. “Carson’s style is good for his likability, but it does not invest confidence that he can get the job done.”
In South Carolina on Wednesday, voters vouched for Mr. Carson’s likability but expressed some concern about his style.
“I don’t see anything wrong with being soft-spoken — but be forceful,” said Peggy Mertes, who said she had not decided if she would vote for Mr. Carson. Bob Keating said he was leaning to Mr. Rubio because of his polished speeches and understanding of foreign policy. As for Mr. Carson, he is impressed with his intellect but is not convinced by his tone.
“You expect a more forceful expression,” Mr. Keating said. “He doesn’t lean into it. I think he’s slightly too mild.”
Mr. Carson shrugged off his slip in the polls on Wednesday, pointing out that running for president is a marathon and not a sprint. However, his remarks made clear that he is aware that he cannot let his religious base slip away or sound soft on terrorism.
Pacing across the stage before a room of about 300 people — some supporters and some who were making up their minds — Mr. Carson clutched a microphone close to his face. He recited proverbs, and railed against secular progressivism. When the discussion turned to defeating the Islamic State, he raised his voice to a loud whisper and laid out his plan.
But it may be a tough sell going forward with Mr. Cruz making inroads among evangelical Christians. A Quinnipiac poll of Iowa voters last week showed that while Mr. Carson was backed by 24 percent of evangelicals, the largest bloc of Iowa caucus-goers, that total was down from 36 percent a month earlier. It was clear that Mr. Carson’s evangelical supporters had turned from him over questions of national security. Only 5 percent of Republicans in Iowa said Mr. Carson would be best at handling terrorism, compared to 30 percent for Mr. Trump and 20 percent for Mr. Cruz.
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