Dr. Ben Carson, the socially conservative doctor in the presidential campaign officially announced that he is leaving the campaign this Friday. Carson spoke at the American Conservative Union’s 2016 Political Action Conference and assured that he would keep fighting on behalf of “We the People” even though he is dropping out of the race. Carson stated, “Even though I might be leaving the campaign trail, you know there’s a lot of people who love me even if they won’t vote for me, I’m still going to be heavily involved to save our nation.” He received a standing ovation and thunderous applause for the impact he has made so far, as well as the job he has done.
Dr. Carson’s formal announcement at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center did not come as a surprise to many. He released a statement earlier this week that he would not be participating in Thursday night’s GOP debate in Detroit and said that he no longer saw a political “path forward.”
Carson had distinguished himself from the other Republican candidates early on with his quiet character and polite mannerisms. Other Republican primaries have distinguished themselves from Carson with their overbearing personalities and childish insults, those of which Dr. Carson never took part in.
As he leaves the race, Carson encourages voters to examine each candidate’s values and base your vote off of whether or not your share those values with him. He claims that he has put his faith in “we the people” to make the right decision.
Carson has still not officially endorsed another GOP candidate, but told Katie Couric on Thursday that he would “support whoever the people have chosen.”