Ben Carson to end presidential campaign
‘I do not see a political path forward,’ the retired neurosurgeon says after Super Tuesday’s results.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will end his presidential bid, saying that Super Tuesday’s election results left him with no “political path forward.”
The announcement marks the closing chapter of a run that showed flashes of promise and fundraising prowess, but suffered a steep fall after Carson’s lack of fluency on foreign policy issues became glaring.
“I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results,” Carson said in the statement.
Armstrong Williams, a longtime Carson confidant, said the retired neurosurgeon doesn’t intend to endorse any of his rivals and has no interest in a bid for any other political office. Rather, he said, he’ll likely enter the world of policy advocacy on issues ranging from education to the national debt.
“I’m sure he won’t support anyone. He will support the eventual nominee,” Williams said.
Carson said that he will skip Thursday’s GOP debate in his hometown of Detroit and will formally address his political future during a speech on Friday at CPAC in the Washington area, but he left no doubt that his quest for the Republican nomination was coming to an end. It follows predictions by allies that Carson would await the results of Super Tuesday before deciding whether to quit.
“I am not moved or discouraged when the political class count me out,” Carson said in a statement after polls closed Tuesday. “Millions of Americans plead with me to continue … As long we continue to receive their support, and the Lord keeps opening doors, I will remain in this presidential race.”
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In his statement on Wednesday, Carson included a nod to his financial network. “I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America. Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people,” he said.
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