WASHINGTON — (CNN) Ben Carson on Friday announced his next move after effectively ending his presidential campaign: chairing a group focused on getting out the Christian vote in November.
My Faith Votes announced Carson as its new national chairman Friday, putting out a statement ahead of Carson’s address to the conservative CPAC gathering Friday afternoon. Carson is expected to speak about his new venture there.
“Nothing is more important to me than my personal faith, and it is my faith that motivated me to be involved in the political process to begin with,” Carson said in a statement. “I believe Christians in this country can easily determine the next president of the United States and all other national and local leaders, should they simply show up at the polls.”
The tax-exempt nonprofit educational group says it will undertake a national media campaign that will gather steam into the November presidential election.
“In the last four presidential elections, an average of less than five million votes separated the major candidates.” My Faith Votes President Sealy Yates, said in a statement. “Yet, more than 25 million Christians didn’t bother to even show up at the polls in 2012.”
Carson repeated the message in a video on the group’s website, saying it’s his goal to encourage all Christians in “exercising our civic duty and voting.”
The group said Carson agreed to take on the position the same day he announced he could not see a “path forward” for his presidential campaign, Wednesday, though he has yet to say he is formally suspending his campaign. He did not participate in the GOP debate on Thursday.
He has promised to give more information at CPAC, which his spokesman reiterated in response to a query about what the new position means for the campaign.
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