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(RNN) – Ben Carson, who skipped the recent Republican debate and said he saw no path to victory, told a conservative group he is ending his presidential bid.
“I will still continue to be heavily involved in trying to save our nation,” he said to applause Friday at the Conservative Political Action Committee Conference in Washington, DC.
Carson said he took a realistic look at his chances for victory,
“I did the math, I looked at the delegate counts, I looked at the states, I looked at the requirements, and I realized it simply wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “And if that’s the case, I didn’t want to interfere with the process.”
Carson, who did not endorse another candidate, said Republicans should stop providing Democrats with material to use against them.
“We cannot afford to give the Democrats all this ammunition,” he said. “I wish that people would remember what happened last time and how the Republicans were destroying each other.”
He said he will chair My Faith Votes, a nonpartisan group that describes itself as existing “to inspire and motivate Jesus followers to vote.”
Carson had announced Wednesday that he would not participate in the Fox News debate on Thursday, saying “I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results.”
In Super Tuesday primaries, Carson finished last or next-to-last in all 12 contests.
READ MORE: Cleveland19.com
Article Courtesy of WOIO Cleveland 19 News
Picture Courtesy of Getty Images
