Retired Neuron-surgeon and author of Best selling book “Gifted Hands”, Ben Carson declared Monday his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.

He rested his bid for presidency on his vision of the nation as “a place of dreams” where people can thrive when freed from an overbearing government.

Carson, who as an African American grew up poor in Detroit but rose to become a chief pediatric neurosurgery at prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, added his name to the widening field.

He being the  only African-American in the race, spoke in front of hundreds of people at Detroit Music Hall, a few miles from a high school that bears his name.

“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, who is retired from medicine, told WPEC television in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Perhaps because he is expected to announce his candidacy formally in coming days, Carson did not expand much on his priorities.

“I’m not 100 percent sure ‘politics as usual’ is going to save us,” said the conservative, who has raised some eyebrows with comments in the past about President Barack Obama’s policies, particularly on health care and gay rights.

“I think we are in a severe problem… a problematic situation.”

He told supporters that he’s not anti-government but believes Washington has exceeded its constitutional powers.

Source: Entertainment Express