WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate
The news was first reported by The Washington Post.
However, The Post reports, the retired neurosurgeon will not suspend his bid — at least not yet. Instead, Carson said he will discuss his campaign's future during a speech Friday at the
In his statement, Carson said he remained "committed to saving America for future generations," and that he would "discuss more about the future of this movement" in the Friday speech. He added that his campaign's finances would not impact any decisions, and that they would instead be based on "what is in the best interests of the American people."
The news comes after Carson had a string of disappointing finishes in the 11 Super Tuesday Republican contests, finishing no higher than fourth in any state.
Carson has in recent debates struggled to gain speaking time, which he has complained about on multiple occasions. At last Thursday's CNN debate in Houston, he at one point asked his rivals to attack him so that he would get a chance to respond, drawing cheers and laughs.
Last fall, Carson briefly surged to the top of the GOP race, but has since then been overshadowed by front-runner
Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon, first burst onto the political scene in 2013 when he sharply criticized
He launched his presidential campaign in May in a speech in Detroit — his hometown and site of the Thursday debate he'll skip — telling supporters: "I’m not politically correct, and I’m probably never going to be politically correct because I’m not a politician."
Buoyed by the deep-seated desire among many Republican voters for an outsider candidate, which also briefly vaulted
However, just as Fiorina quickly faded, Carson also soon found himself trailing the one outsider candidate whose appeal has proved lasting: Trump.
By late 2015 and into early 2016, Carson's stock slumped as he faced increased scrutiny over his foreign policy acumen and accounts of his troubled youth, leading to a staff shake-up that raised questions about his viability.
In the first GOP contest, the
This week, Carson did receive perhaps his first positive polling news in months. A Morning Consult survey found that Republican voters had him atop their list of candidates — to be Trump's running mate.