Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) On the debate stage and in television interviews, Ben Carson's often deadpan delivery lacks the energy of his Republican rivals.

But on the stump, Carson comes alive.

The retired neurosurgeon-turned-presidential aspirant has slowly marched into the top tier in recent national and Iowa-specific GOP polls . And, given 20 free minutes to talk rather than debate soundbites or interview questions on topics he can't control, he's able to impress. He awed a crowd of hundreds here at the Iowa State Fair with inspirational tales of his life-saving medical work and his hardscrabble Detroit upbringing.

Perhaps more important than what Carson says, though, is what he's not: an experienced office-holder.

If this has been the summer of Donald Trump , it's also the August of outsiders. The Republican presidential field's two other non-politicians -- Carson and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina -- are also shimmying up the polls.

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Carson is often running second, and Fiorina has morphed from an unknown to a top-five contender in both Iowa and New Hampshire in just two weeks on the strength of her breakout performance in the first round of GOP primary debates.

The two said they see an American electorate souring on its entire political class.

"(It) just means that people are starting to listen rather than just do blindly what pundits tell them to do, and that's a good thing. That bodes well for our country," Carson told CNN as he climbed down from the Des Moines Register's famous Soapbox stage at the Iowa State Fair on Sunday.

Fiorina, speaking to reporters just off the same stage Monday, said: "Whatever your issue, whatever your cause, whatever festering problem that you hoped would be resolved right now, the political class has failed you. And that's what I think you're seeing reflected in my candidacy, among others."

Polling numbers back up their popularity. Though the candidates might not be every GOP voter's first choice, both are well-liked by most Republicans, and disliked by very few.

Fiorina excelled in an opening round of the debate for lower-performing candidates and Carson delivered a memorable moment in the prime-time event with his tale of separating Siamese twins rather than working in politics. The two are seizing on a moment of wariness over an entire political establishment that might make possible another Bush vs. Clinton match-up.

Carson, in particular, excels when he's in control of the microphone. That, Republican operatives said, is when his talent shows.

"The Ben Carson I've seen on television is not the Ben Carson I've seen on the stump," said Pete Seat, an aide in President George W. Bush's White House press shop.

Seat said he saw Carson in April, at a Right to Life banquet in Evansville, Indiana. He said Carson can be "sleep inducing" on television, but in person, he'll have crowds "hanging on his every word" with stories of operating-room miracles.

"There's a reason why some voters are so passionate about his candidacy," Seat said. "The trick is to see him in person. You may not leave a supporter, but you'll definitely leave liking the guy -- a lot."

All three outsiders -- Trump, Carson and Fiorina -- hit the Iowa State Fair in recent days.

Trump stole the show Saturday, setting the fairgrounds abuzz when he landed in a helicopter emblazoned with his last name at nearby ball fields. But Carson attracted a massive crowd of his own to his turn on the Soapbox on Sunday. Hundreds of people spilled across Grand Avenue, the main thoroughfare, almost halting foot traffic in the area -- a turnaround that rivaled a Democratic candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , for the biggest gathering at the Iowa State Fair staple.

"He doesn't seem as party-obsessed as all the other candidates do," said Alex Bennett, an 18-year-old student from Ankeny, Iowa, who plans to support Carson in February's caucuses.

She said Carson is like Trump -- who "just doesn't seem to get along with people as well as Ben Carson does" -- on decaf.

"Carson's a lot calmer. He's mellow, I feel like he knows what he's talking about -- whereas Trump is a loose cannon. He gets himself in trouble," Bennett said.

Then Fiorina appeared Monday, drawing a crowd that rivaled one Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker -- a former Iowa frontrunner -- had attracted that morning.

Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Ben Carson attends the National Action Network (NAN) national convention at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on April 8, 2015, in New York City. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson speaks during the 41st annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center on March 8, 2014, in National Harbor, Maryland. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson speaks to guests at the Iowa Freedom Summit on January 24, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson is surrounded by supporters as he waits to be interviewed at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, outside Washington on February 26, 2015. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson speaks at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition convention on January 18, 2015, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A variety of conservative presidential hopefuls spoke at the gathering on the second day of a three-day event. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson delivers the keynote address at the Wake Up America gala event on September 5, 2014, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson speaks during the 41st annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center on March 8, 2014, in National Harbor, Maryland. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton on February 7, 2013, in Washington. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Honoree and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, Carson poses with actor James Pickens Jr. at the Jackie Robinson Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on March 16, 2009, in New York City. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Before his jump into conservative politics, Carson was known for his work as a neurosurgeon. Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President George W. Bush on June 19, 2008. At that time, he was the director of pediatric surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics In a story that garnered international attention, Carson was ready to separate a pair of 10-year-old Indian girls, Saba and Farah Shakeel, who are joined at the head in New Delhi, India. Here, he addresses a press conference at the Indraprashtra Apollo Hospital on October 4, 2005. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson and a team of 20 specialists approved the procedure after studying the girls' brains; however, their parents were worried about their daughters' lives and did not give doctors permission to operate. The surgery did not happen. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Ben Carson's career in politics Carson observes the start of neurosurgery proceedings at the Raffles Hospital in Singapore on July 6, 2003. Carson and Dr. Keith Goh, left, performed a complex operation that was unsuccessful to separate 29-year-old twins Ladan And Laleh Bijani, who were joined at the head. Hide Caption 13 of 13

Garry Fredericksen, a 69-year-old retiree who drove from Indianapolis to Iowa to witness "the best retail politics in the United States," called Fiorina "awesome; fabulous."

"And even better in person," he said.

But Some voters say they are looking toward November.

Bill Duma, a 77-year-old retired businessman who spends his summers in Des Moines but lives in Nevada, another key early voting state, said he "would like to lean towards" Fiorina.

The top qualification he has in mind for a GOP nominee?

"Someone who can get elected -- obviously," Duma said.