Conservative black surgeon Ben Carson announces US presidential run

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, an iconic figure for many black Americans, told a Florida television station that he is running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

“I’m willing to be part of the equation and, therefore, I’m announcing my candidacy for president of the United States of America,” Carson said in an interview with CBS affiliate WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.

Carson, 63, who is popular with the conservative Tea Party movement, is expected to formally declare his candidacy at an event in Detroit today.

He would be the first African-American to enter the growing Republican field for the party’s presidential nomination next year.

“Many people have suggested to me that I should run for president, even though I’m not a politician,” said Carson, who has never before sought elective office.

The first doctor to successfully separate twins conjoined at the head, Carson developed a conservative following in 2013 after he advocated a flat tax, private medical savings accounts and other conservative policies at a National Prayer Breakfast speech that was attended by President Barack Obama.