Ben Carson: 'Millions of Americans Plead with Me to Continue'

Despite not finishing higher than fourth place in any Super Tuesday contests and having eight delegates so far, pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson said he’s staying in the presidential race.

Carson got 10 percent of the vote in Alabama, 5.7 percent in Arkansas, 6.2 percent in Georgia, 2.6 percent in Massachusetts, 7.2 percent in Minnesota, 6.2 percent in Oklahoma, 7.6 percent in Tennessee, 4.1 percent in Texas, 4.2 percent in Vermont, and 5.9 percent in Virginia.

He held a party to watch Super Tuesday results at The Grand in his hometown Baltimore.

“I am not moved or discouraged when the political class count me out,” Carson said, in remarks released by his campaign. “When I began my campaign more than a year ago, there were 17 viable candidates seeking the GOP nomination. Today, because ‘We the People’ continue to show unprecedented support, I remain one of five.”

The candidate stressed that “millions of Americans plead with me to continue.”

“They want to have a choice and a representative voice to ensure people of faith are not marginalized and that integrity is restored to leadership, with a focus on common sense solutions to the myriad problems we face as a nation,” Carson continued. “They know I am a citizen candidate, not a politician, who won’t do what is expedient, but what is right.”

“As long as we continue to receive their support, and the Lord keeps opening doors, I will remain in this presidential race. The stakes are too high to willingly hand our country over once again to the pundits and the political class. I truly believe in America and the potential to return to the values on which this country was founded.”

Carson was asked on Fox on Tuesday if he feels pressure to drop out to consolidate the opposition to Donald Trump.

“What the pundits say is very typical of the manipulative class,” he said. “They think they have complete control, and to some degree, they do, but at some point, the people wake up. The question is when is that going to happen? You know, it’s sort of like you’ve got everything that you want right in front of you, but you don’t recognize it until it’s too late.”