Ben Carson to halt presidential campaign

WASHINGTON, March 2 (UPI) -- Ben Carson, the conservative former neurosurgeon who briefly led the Republican presidential race, is winding down his campaign, he told supporters Wednesday.

Carson posted on his campaign's Facebook page he does not "see a political path forward" after Super Tuesday, when he failed to register better than fourth place in any of the 11 states up for grabs. The Washington Post reports Carson does not immediately plan to suspend his campaign. Instead, he will offer more details in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.

"I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America," Carson said. "Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people."

Carson took a brief turn in the limelight last fall, when his campaign shot to the top of the polls, for a brief time overtaking Donald Trump as the top choice among Republicans. But a series of poor debate performances, stumbles on questions about foreign policy and stories about campaign infighting saw him sink back down into the second tier of GOP candidates.

Politico reports Carson does not have any immediate plans to endorse another candidate, though he has been approached by several campaigns to do so. A Carson adviser said the candidate was offered the chance to run for a Senate seat in Florida, among other political carrots, to leave the race sooner, but Carson refused.

Carson will not attend Thursday's GOP debate in his hometown of Detroit.