Ben Carson has told supporters he sees “no path forward” in the Republican presidential race and is planning to exit.
In an email to supporters, Carson said that he plans to skip Thursday’s GOP debate in Detroit and ultimately exit from the GOP primary contest, arguing that there is no “political path forward” after a poor showing on Super Tuesday.
Longtime adviser Armstrong Williams confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Carson will officially suspend his campaign Friday in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.
“I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit,” Carson said in the statement. “Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results.”
“However, this grassroots movement on behalf of ‘We the People’ will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations,” Carson said. “We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.”
The famed neurosurgeon also told supporters that his call to leave the race is not a financial decision, but rather one to best benefit “the American people.”
“I will discuss more about the future of this movement during my speech on Friday at CPAC in Washington, D.C.,” Carson said closing out his statement.
Williams expanded upon Carson’s decision to depart from the race, echoing past statements that March 2 was his day to make a decision —”D-Day” — and that he had planned all along to stay in until Super Tuesday, but that the poor showing last night helped him make the decision.
“It’s the right thing to do, it’s the honorable thing to do,” said Williams. “He didn’t want to take up space at the debate. He’s an honorable man.”
Carson’s announcement comes only one day after campaign chairman Bob Dees admitted to the Examiner that the campaign “clearly” didn’t have a path forward in the GOP contest or a “well-defined path to victory.”
Having worked as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Carson became a 2013 speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, where he rebuked many policies of the Obama administration with the president sitting only a few feet away.
Behind his soft-spoken style and compelling personal narrative, Carson shot up the GOP polls in September and reached co-front-runner status alongside Donald Trump from late September until mid-November, even leading for a time in late October and early November both nationally and in Iowa.
However, Carson’s campaign began to decline after the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., when national security and terrorism became preeminent topics in the race and questions began to swirl around Carson’s knowledge on national security. The questions came to a head when a national security adviser to Carson told the New York Times that he continued to struggle on issues pertaining to world affairs despite meetings to “make him smart” on such topics.
The former neurosurgeon’s campaign was marred throughout by staff turmoil, particularly before Christmas when he gave multiple interviews to media outlets openly discussing a potential staff shake-up. Campaign manager Barry Bennett was on the outs while Williams remained influential.
Ultimately, Bennett, communications director Doug Watts and deputy campaign manager Lisa Coen all resigned their posts on New Years Eve after the power struggle, with Dees announced as the campaign’s new chairman and Ed Brookover taking over day-to-day operations from Bennett.
Weeks after losing their top spot in Iowa, Carson and Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign became ensnared in a caucus night squabble after members of Cruz’s team told staffers at caucus sites that Carson looked to be leaving the 2016 race. Iowa Rep. Steve King even tweeted that Carson “looks like he’s out,” adding that “Iowans need to know before they vote.”
Cruz ended up winning the caucuses that evening, while Carson finished fourth with only 10 percent support. Days after the caucus, Carson took aim at Cruz’s caucus night tactics, calling him a false prophet in a bizarre press conference, while suggesting that Cruz should fire staffers involved in the situation.
Carson proceeded to struggle mightily throughout the early primary states, having finished last in both New Hampshire and South Carolina before a second to last place finish in Nevada. With only five candidates remaining on Super Tuesday, Carson did not crack third place in any of the 11 states that awarded delegates.
Carson will conclude his campaign having won only eight delegates overall.
