On Nov. 5, the man behind the “Gifted Hands” released a video advertising a likely run at the presidency in 2016.
Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, author and former Fox News contributor, has been preparing a presidential campaign for two years, according to GOP strategist Tyler Harber. Carson gained political recognition when he openly criticized Obama’s policies in front of the president at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Since then, Carson released his No. 1 New York Times bestselling book “One Nation” in May 2014. The book introduces Carson’s conservative agenda for American politics and outsold Hillary Clinton’s book “Hard Choices” by more than 2,000 copies in August 2014, according to the National Journal.
While Carson has yet to formally announce that he will be on the campaign trail next year, he officially changed his party affiliation from Independent to Republican on Nov. 5. That same day, Carson’s staff released a biographical and political documentary entitled, “A Breath of Fresh Air: A New Prescription for America.”
“The Founding Fathers were Republicans, in the sense that they believed that serving as a government representative was a civic duty, not a license for unlimited power,” the program’s narrator said in the film’s introduction. “Is it necessary to have spent one’s whole life in politics, doing nothing else productive other than running for office?”
Lori Klein, assistant professor of political science and public administration, said she expects the Republican presidential primary field to be quite large, and Carson is simply taking a unique approach to begin his campaign. Klein said there is no doubt Carson will make the primary season interesting, but it is too early to predict his chances at winning the GOP nomination.
“There is no single front runner for the Republican side,” Klein said. “There is great interest in fielding a candidate who has a chance to re-take the White House … But while the narrative of an outsider is appealing, American voters like experience, especially executive branch experience, in their presidential candidates.”
Carson spoke at Harding on March 1, 2014, during the promotional tour for his book “One “Nation.”
