Story highlights David Wilson says Dr. Ben Carson is the Republican Party's latest great black hope

He says Carson's popularity makes conservatives feel good about themselves and their views

David A. Wilson is the co-founder and executive editor of TheGrio.com, a site dedicated to news and perspectives that affect and reflect black America. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @mrdavidawilson. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) Dr. Ben Carson is the Republican Party's latest great black hope. New polls released this week show that the neurosurgeon turned politician is now sitting on top of the crowded GOP presidential field alongside Donald Trump. The soft-spoken Carson, who has never held a political office, is electrifying the GOP's base, and ironically, he's doing it with a campaign that conjures the excitement of a doctor's visit.

David A. Wilson

While conservatives have long accused their political counterparts of white liberal guilt, those on the right are showing their own brand of it. The modern day Republican Party has always had a strained relationship with people of color, but the election of President Obama has deepened the rift.

JUST WATCHED Ben Carson reacts to questions over past violence Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Ben Carson reacts to questions over past violence 03:05

Many in the GOP and tea party have been accused of bigotry for denying the legitimacy of and being unwilling to work with the nation's first black president, although many conservatives will argue that their disdain for the President has nothing to do with his race, but with his politics. Even so, the "racist" label has begun to take a toll on the party's brand and, I believe, their conscience.

JUST WATCHED Ben Carson's origin story surprises Detroit neighbors Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Ben Carson's origin story surprises Detroit neighbors 03:41

However, Carson is their latest " magic negro ;" he is someone who makes them feel good about themselves and their beliefs. The divine intervention that transformed him from being a violent, quick-tempered black boy in an impoverished Detroit to a celebrated Yale-educated brain surgeon is what evangelicals' dreams are made of. He presents himself as an example of how minorities can lift themselves up from poverty through God and with little government intervention. Although some of the accounts of his childhood are now being questioned , it may do little damage to his reputation with his growing conservative fan base.