Former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson
confirmed that his presidential campaign was
ending, but that he was going to channel his
time and energy to mobilize Christians to vote.
At a speech delivered Friday at the
Conservative Political Action Conference,
Carson stunned the audience when he stated
during his remarks that he was “leaving the
campaign trail.”
“Now that I am leaving the campaign trail,” said Carson, before his sentence was interrupted by a long audience reaction that included
expressions of sorrow and an applause with
shouts of respect.
Carson noted that he was going to be heading
a group called My Faith Votes, whose mission is
to get the faith communities of America more
involved in the presidential election.
“We’re in the process of allowing the secular
progressives to drive faith out of our country,” cautioned Carson.
Carson argued that the faith vote needs to be
mobilized because, as seen with the 2012
presidential election, not getting involved can
have a major impact on the results.
“In 2012, 25 million evangelicals did not vote.
The margin of difference [between Barack
Obama and Mitt Romney] was only five million,” continued Carson.
“We have to get these people registered and
we have to get them to understand that they
have to play a role because a lot of people in
the faith community they say ‘God’s got it
under control so I just don’t really need to do
anything.’ Well one of the ways that God controls it is through us.”
Carson’s comments came as part of the annual
multiday CPAC event, which was hosted by the
American Conservative Union at the Gaylord
National Resort and Convention Center in
National Harbor, Maryland.
In addition to Carson, other former and current
Republican presidential hopefuls who spoke on the main stage included U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, former Senator Rick Santorum, Ohio
Governor John Kasich, and former Hewlett
Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
Announcing his candidacy last year in his
home town of Detroit, Michigan, Carson’s
campaign stirred some interest but was
ultimately overshadowed by other candidates
including current frontrunner Donald Trump.
Known to be soft spoken and often silent
during the Republican primary debates, Carson
also garnered controversy for statements like
claiming Muslims should not be allowed to run
for president and that prison rape proved
people can change sexual orientation.
Carson’s remarks at CPAC came days after
Super Tuesday, in which the accomplished
neurosurgeon failed to win a single state of the
twelve that were up for grabs.
Immediately following the results from
Tuesday, Carson sent out a statement saying that he was not going to attend the GOP debate
in Detroit, heavily implying that he was
dropping out of the race.
“I do not see a political path forward in light of
last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results,”
read the statement from the Carson campaign.
“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.”
According to the My Faith Votes’ website , the effort to mobilize Christians to vote will be a
“relevant” and “non-partisan” endeavor.
“Christians in the U.S. can and should make
their voice heard for the stability of our country
and security of our freedoms,” read the “About
Us” section of the website.
“The best way to make a difference is to ensure
we dramatically enhance voter participation
amongst Christians. If we don’t speak up, we
can’t expect to be heard.”
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