Ben Carson Sees No "Political Path" - American Daily News

Ben Carson appears to have finished his run for the White House.

According to a statement issued by his campaign Wednesday, the retired neurosurgeon said he will skip Thursday’s Republican debate in Detroit, but fell just short of formally ending his campaign, saying he will discuss his future plans during a speech on Friday.

I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results,” Carson said. “However, this grassroots movement on behalf of ‘We the People’ will continue.”

Carson briefly held the lead in the polls earlier in last year, but fell out of favor after the attacks on San Bernardino and Paris brought foreign policy into the presidential conversation.

In January, his campaign suffered a major setback when Carson sacked a number of his team and raised some thoughts that he was suspending his campaign after a poor finish in Iowa. The latter issue brought criticism to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who’s own staff insinuated Carson had dropped out prior to the caucus.

The retired neurosurgeon had a following of religious conservatives attracted to his quiet demeanor and even-toned approach to the more bombastic Donald Trump. It was that attitude that led to his rise in the polls in the fall before questions about his statements regarding the eligibility of a Muslim for U.S. President and how Jews should have been armed during the Holocaust led to a falling out of favor.

Other criticism of his campaign came from his seemingly-irresponsible spending. While Carson outraised many other candidates in 2015, his team also spent an abnormally high share of those funds to raise other funds, a trend that some criticized as a campaign scheme for his consultants.

Carson did acknowledge those who donated to his campaign in the statement, saying that he appreciates “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.”

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Justin Shimko

Justin Shimko is an award-winning writer and political analyst. He began as a reporter in his college days at the University of Oklahoma, writing for The Oklahoma Daily (rated as one of the best collegiate newspapers in the nation) and The Oklahoman, the statewide newspaper, winning awards from the CSPA and the Society of Professional Journalists. He later moved on to research and writing work for a number of political campaigns. His email is [email protected]