In Florence, Ben Carson says he won’t drop out of presidential race
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Friday that he intends to do well in today’s primaries and continue his campaign into the Nevada caucuses next week.
“My plans are to move on to Nevada then on to Super Tuesday,” Carson said during a pre-rally interview. “We have a large amount of support, particularly in social media. I have a lot of people in so many other states saying ‘don’t worry, if they don’t cover your back in South Carolina we got you.’ ”
The town-hall-style event drew about 600 people to the Florence Civic Center.
Despite placing near last in recent polls, Carson said many voters across the nation are in tune with his message and long for a “nonpolitician” in the White House who will unite rather than play politics.
Carson said other politicians have “talked a good game” on their policies but he’s the only one who has provided detailed plans. He said undecided voters should consider his record as a surgeon in life-or-death situations. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon.
“If people want someone with a long history of solving complex problems, they should certainly think very seriously about me,” Carson said.
Carson said low- and middle-income families, who typically vote Democratic, should consider voting in the Republican primaries to break the cycle of dependency on the federal government.
“Look at what has happened over the past 60 years under that system of government patting you on the head and taking care of you,” Carson said. “They take care of you all right, but it keeps you dependent. People need to consider how you climb out of dependency and become a part of success in American society.”
A selling point for many Carson supporter is his resistance to mud-slinging during debates and smear campaigns in multimedia.
“This is about important issues, and I hate it when people get side-tracked with personal attacks,” Carson said. “It deviates away from the issues and it seems to be working so well. It’s almost like a coliseum, where people wanted to go to the coliseum to see blood and gore while Rome was burning around them.”
For Seth Smith, a Carson supporter from Florence, that unwillingness to “stoop down” is one of the many reasons to vote for the retired brain surgeon.
“He’s got the courage of his convictions,” Smith said. “He’s always been interested in helping people, not just in medicine. He’s rational, speaks clearly and he doesn’t let people bait him into an argument.”
Amber Sturkey, a Lake City resident, said she wasn’t 100 percent sure who will get her vote but she did admire Carson’s attitude during the political process.
“No matter how many times Trump or whoever attacked him, he never took it to heart,” she said. “He always kept true to his word and stayed focused the issues instead of constantly attacking other people.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 9:13 PM with the headline "In Florence, Ben Carson says he won’t drop out of presidential race."