Ben Carson is introducing himself as a potential 2016 presidential candidate in a 40-minute video that will be aired on TV stations in 22 states and Washington, D.C.
Armstrong Williams, a conservative commentator who is Carson’s business manager, is behind the video, entitled: “A Breath of Fresh Air: A New Prescription for America.”
{mosads}Williams is also a broadcast TV station owner and a contributor to TheHill.com.
Carson is an accomplished neurosurgeon who gained fame after he became the first person to successfully separate twins conjoined at the head. He also served as the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the youngest doctor to hold such a post.
He rose to political stardom with a speech at last year’s National Prayer Breakfast that criticized ObamaCare, the rise of political correctness and the nation’s “moral decay” and “fiscal irresponsibility.”
Carson has said he’s seriously considering a White House run.
He’s performed well in a number of presidential straw polls but most agree he’d face an uphill battle in a field against better-known GOP elected officials.
Williams’s documentary will air immediately after well-watched programs, including the political Sunday shows and NFL games. He stressed that his production company paid for the TV slots and Carson is only the subject.
If Carson does decide to run, Williams said his status as a political outsider is an “asset.”
“People spend their lives in Congress destroying and disrupting lives,” he said. “[Carson] spent his lifetime in an operating room saving lives.”
—This post was updated at 5:30 p.m.