Ben Carson on South Carolina, Super Tuesday, and fighting onward
On Thursday, Feb. 11, Dr. Ben Carson talks with Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga about the road ahead for his embattled presidential campaign. Carson is campaigning steadily in South Carolina ahead of that state’s primary on Feb. 20 despite capturing only 2 percent of his party’s vote in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
On what has hurt his campaign in the early voting states, Carson said, “The emphasis on terrorism took a significant toll because a lot of people bought into the narrative that a nice person can’t be tough on terrorists, which is of course not true.” He continued, “We’ve also had to fight the attacks on character. People said all of the things I’ve written about in my life are not true and, of course, as each one was proven to be true, they never come back to say, ‘Oh, we were wrong about that.’”
On radio personality Rush Limbaugh comparing Sen. Ted Cruz to former President Ronald Reagan, Carson said, “I think everybody is entitled to their opinions, and I don’t get into the whole slime pit and start criticizing my opponents who are Republicans.”
Carson would not specifically say who he thinks is behind rumors about his campaign and record, he told Golodryga: “I would imagine that it could be anybody, and I don’t spend a lot of time concentrating on who is behind it because I don’t go after them and do a similar thing.”
On his plan going forward in South Carolina and beyond, Carson said, “Everybody wants to always call the game after the second or third inning. I say let the game play out. Things happen during campaigns, historically, so why call it after the third inning? If we’re going to do that, we should just end it right now.”
If Carson has a poor showing in South Carolina, he said, “I will always continue to assess the situation, but right now my goal is to present the alternative.”
On the Washington Post report that his campaign has spent more than $2,300 per vote that he’s received so far, he said, “I think those numbers are way off kilter. Not even close.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s GOP debate, Carson said, “I may have to insinuate myself more. I did a couple of times last Saturday, otherwise I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to talk about Libya or any of the important things.”
Finally, on why Donald Trump continues to resonate with voters, Carson told Golodryga, “What is happening in America that attracts people to that … I think a lot of it has to do with the anxiety that Americans have — that we are losing our grip, that we’re no longer exceptional, that we lead from behind, that other people take advantage of us, that we make horrible deals. Because people are so concerned about those things, they are willing to accept whatever you throw in front of them as long as you say you’re going to deal with their anxieties.”