So far into the primary race, many were wondering what sort of bubblegum and scotch tape was holding up Ben Carson’s failed campaign. No matter how frequently the American people said “no thanks” to Carson’s brand of know-nothing politics, he seemed content to wade along in stagnation.
But on Wednesday, after yet another abysmal showing on Super Tuesday, Carson admitted that he saw no “way forward” for his campaign and would not be attending Thursday’s GOP debate – this was according to two Republicans who are closely involved.
Carson did not say that he was suspending his campaign but instead will be giving a speech about the future of his campaign on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.
Carson enjoyed a strong surge of momentum in the early stages of the race in 2015 as his grassroots supporters pushed for the retired neurosurgeon to try his hand at politicking.
Carson’s “just play nice” philosophy was good for a while and he even threatened to overtake Trump before a series of mishaps turned the tide for good. On New Years eve, several of Carson’s aids jumped ship and claimed that his campaign was being terribly mismanaged. As Carson’s numbers dropped, so did his chances to speak at debates and it became an almost game to see what sort of whiny jokes Carson would make at each event.
Carson also struggled to shake the “sleepy” image and his narcoleptic persona conflated with the image he tried to cultivate of a violent youth.
All in all, Carson has been one of the more bizarre characters in this race, but based on the state the GOP is currently in, it might have been better off if they had gone with the sleepy doctor rather than the violently racist bigot.
