Carson starts presidential bid with nonpolitical pitch
Detroit — Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon who grew up poor in Detroit and now is running for president, seeks to tap into a segment of Republican primary voters who loathe career politicians and want the government out of their daily lives.
In launching his campaign for the White House Monday before a hometown crowd, Carson spoke about a need for Americans to start helping each other instead of relying on government for assistance.
“I think it’s time for the people to rise up and take the government back,” Carson told a cheering crowd at the Music Hall Center for Performing Arts.
The message resonates with Carson supporters, who argue he can overcome long-shot odds against big-name Republicans such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker or U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to win the GOP nomination and face the likely Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in the presidential election in 18 months.
“People say he can’t win because he isn’t a politician,” said Stan Seevers of Toledo, who attended Carson’s campaign kickoff event Monday. “We’re just going to have to prove them wrong.”
Since he publicly criticized President Barack Obama at a national prayer breakfast in 2013, Carson has built a loyal following of conservative Republicans who are attracted by his soft-spoken approach and life story of breaking free of poverty in Detroit.
“Two years ago, I was saying Ben Carson should run for president,” said Wayne Newman, 75, of Northville. “He’s got common sense, he’s a problem-solver and he’s got the love of Christ in him.”
But political experts wonder whether Carson can turn his loyal national following into a groundswell of support in Iowa, South Carolina and other states to win over evangelical-minded conservative voters with so many Republican candidates to choose from.
“His struggle is going to be, how do you set up a national campaign?” said Stu Sandler, a Republican political consultant from Ann Arbor. “It’s going to be a real challenge for someone like Carson. That being said, he’s got an interesting story.”
During three public appearances Monday morning in Detroit, Carson tried to distinguish himself from the field of Republican presidential candidates who have all been governor, members of Congress or run for public office before.
“I gotta tell you something: I’m not politically correct, and I’m probably never going to be politically correct because I’m not a politician. I don’t want to be a politician,” said Carson, who is embarking on his first campaign for public office.
Carson launched his campaign on the same day former Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina entered the GOP presidential field and a day before former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is expected to jump in.
Other announced candidates are Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas.
Paul stumped in Grand Rapids Monday, while Walker spoke to Republican groups in Lansing and Novi.
Carson, who is the only African-American candidate, said he would not be deterred by the growing list of Republicans who want to be the next commander-in-chief.
“If they’re all saying the same thing I am, then fantastic,” Carson told reporters. “I say the more the merrier. Bring ’em on, and let’s all talk about what are our ideals are. The only thing I’m going to be doing is encouraging people to think for themselves.”
Carson used his campaign kickoff to call for a “tax holiday” for corporations and wealthy Americans storing their profits in bank accounts overseas. He argued it would give the companies an incentive to bring their operations and profits back to the United States.
“We are going to change the government into something that looks more like a well-run business,” he said.
Carson also sought to rebut claims from critics that he wants to throw people off welfare. He called that a “blatant lie.”
“I have no desire to get rid of the safety net for people who need them,” Carson said. “(But) I have a strong desire to get rid of programs that create dependency for able-bodied people.”
Carson supporters from across Michigan and the country traveled to Detroit to pack the historic theater on Madison Street.
“He expresses my conservative views in a calm manner,” said Joe Shay of Central Lake, in Antrim County. “I’m tired of being yelled at by career politicians — Republicans and Democrats.”
Earlier Monday morning, Carson kicked off his Detroit visit by meeting with close supporters at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, where there’s an exhibit about his life’s work.
In a half-hour speech that touched on everything from the recent riots in Baltimore to brain surgery and creationism, Carson signaled that he won’t shy away from speaking about his faith on the campaign trail. A devout Christian, Carson was raised Seventh-day Adventist.
“We have to get back to the point where we are not ashamed of being people of faith,” Carson said as people in the audience shouted “Amen” and applauded. “It doesn’t mean that we force our beliefs on anybody else. But no one should be able to curtail what we say and what we do and how we believe.”
“That’s going to be up to us to have the courage to stand up to the secular progressives who want to drive God out of everything — and as they do so, our country is going down in a tailspin at a rapid speed. We need to bring the values and the principles back again.”
Carson’s message resonated with Tim Berends, a Christian radio talk show host in Las Vegas who flew to Detroit to hear the retired Johns Hopkins Hospital pediatric neurosurgeon speak. Berends thanked Carson for publicly stating his belief in creationism.
“When he stands up for the Bible, when he stands up for creationism, he’s going to offend a lot of people,” Berends said. “I think that’s what people appreciate about Ben Carson.”
Geraldine Simmons emerged from Carson’s campaign announcement at the Music Hall energized. She recently became aware of his pending campaign from church acquaintances and decided to see what the fuss was about.
Carson’s personal story of rising from poverty puts him in a far different category than any other presidential candidate, she said.
“There’s a lot of people in that same category, so that might make it easier for him to understand what another person is going through,” said Simmons, a 65-year-old Detroit resident. “It’s easier for politicians to get up, and the government to get up and say what they think is best. But they don’t know what we’re going through unless they’ve been out here with us.”
Barb Fehl drove up from Fremont, Ohio, to hear Carson speak. She said she is drawn to him because he wears his faith so visibly on his sleeve — a religious pride that she feels is in short supply.
“I think he has a voice that needs to be heard,” Fehl said. “I know he’s a man of faith. As a Christian, that means a lot to me.”
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Detroit News Staff Writer Jim Lynch contributed.
On the circuit
■Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who announced her candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination Monday, is to speak to a gathering of business leaders and lawmakers sponsored by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce May 12 at the Lansing Center.
■Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has not announced his candidacy for the nomination, is scheduled to speak to a joint Lincoln Day Dinner held by the Clinton County and Ingham County Republican parties May 28 at the Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath, near Lansing.