While Dr. Ben Carson officially announced his 2016 candidacy on Sunday, he has decided to postpone the first campaign rally event which was scheduled to happen this week in Iowa. Carson received word on Sunday that his mother was becoming increasingly ill and likely near her passing. I personally wish Dr. Carson the best and offer thoughts and prayers in dealing with this family calling.
Report from Local12.com his presidential announcement:
The Republican field of candidates continues to widen. Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is expected to make a major announcement at an event tomorrow in his hometown of Detroit. But in an exclusive interview tonight, Dr. Carson tells our National Correspondent Jeff Barnd he is in the race for the White House in 2016.
“I’m willing to be part of the equation and therefore, I’m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America.” With that, Dr. Ben Carson is off and running. He rose from poverty in Detroit to the head of the pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
He’s now retired from medicine. “Many people have suggested to me that I should run for president, even though I’m not a politician,” Carson said.
Dr. Carson’s political star rose at the National Prayer Breakfast two years ago when he admonished President Obama for several white house policies including Obamacare. “I began to ask myself why are people clamoring for me to do this? I represented a lot of the same thoughts that they have,” Dr. Carson says. “I’m not 100% sure ‘politics as usual’ is going to save us. I think we are in a severe problem…a problematic situation.”
As noted, Carson will announce his campaign Monday morning from Detroit, then head immediately to Dallas to be with his mother. These details according to the Washington Post:
Ben Carson had just started a stump speech to his staff, the one about freedom, and political correctness and the nation being on a dangerous path when he stopped. He clasped his hands and pressed his forefingers into the bridge of his nose.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a whisper as his staff members sat silently. “I started thinking about my mother. I got some news today that she is dying.”
Just a few hours earlier, in his hotel room in his home town of Detroit, Carson had received a text from one of his cousins that just read: “Is this a good time to talk?”
“I knew she wouldn’t be calling me about just anything, knowing it was the day before the announcement,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post. He was less than 24 hours from announcing that he would seeking the Republican nomination for president, and he was about to find out that his mother, who has had Alzheimer’s disease since 2011, probably would die within days.
“I had been struggling with what to write,” said Carson, who had not yet written his announcement speech. “But after my initial cry, my mind became very clear and I knew immediately what I wanted to talk about.”
He would, like he has done so many times before on the pre-campaign trail, talk about one of the most important women in his life. After the speech, Carson will fly to Dallas, canceling his first big rally in Iowa as a candidate, to say his final farewell. [Emphasis added]
“There has to be a mourning process,” Carson said. “And then I’ll move on.”
This is quite major for Carson given that he credits his mother with keeping him on track during childhood and turning him into the accomplished man he is today. She is a integral part of his story and someone he mentions frequently since entering the national spotlight.
So in short, he has announced his candidacy for 2016 and will be delivering a formal announcement speech this morning from Detroit.
Update
Here video of the entire 90 minute announcement event which took place this morning. Skip ahead to the 1 hour mark to see Carson on stage delivery his remarks.
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