With Plans to Skip the Debate, is Ben Bowing Out?

Ben Carson has said he will not participate in Thursday’s Fox News Republican debate, and that he “sees no path” to victory, but he has not officially suspended his campaign.

Here’s his statement from BenCarson.com:

Official Statement by Dr. Ben Carson

I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. 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. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.

I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America. Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people.

I will discuss more about the future of this movement during my speech on Friday at CPAC in Washington, D.C.

The funeral march for Carson’s campaign has been playing for a long time. Some have suggested that he would have dropped out after the first couple of states EXCEPT that he was so furious at having the Ted Cruz campaign tell voters in Iowa that Carson was quitting. To make matters worse, Cruz’ “apology” was littered with inconsistencies, according to Carson, CNN, and others.

After last night’s win, Cruz and Marco Rubio claimed that they would do much better if Carson dropped out. Just a few percentage points can mean the difference between winning and losing in many states—and in the upcoming “winner-take-all” contests, the Carson vote could make the difference.

The question is, where will his voters go? Certainly not to Cruz. And Carson was anti-establishment, so it’s not likely his supporters will go to Rubio. Most likely, Carson’s supporters will go to Donald Trump, with whom Carson has had a respectful, even cordial, relationship.