BEN CARSON WINS THE SOUTHERN REPUBLICAN GOP POLL!

Conservatives, I have some very good news -- this weekend we won the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) GOP Presidential Straw Poll. I told the SRLC audience in Oklahoma City what I tell audiences every day. This great nation was formed to be "of the people, by the people, and for the people." It was never supposed to create a political governing class that controls more and more of our lives. The response was overwhelming. The media and the political class don’t know what to do with us quite yet. They discount me by saying things like “Ben Carson has no political experience.” For once the ruling political class is right. I have never voted for a budget we could not afford. I have never voted to raise the debt limit. I have never voted to raise taxes. And I have never promised a lobbyist anything for a donation. It defies logic that the political class thinks this is what America needs more of. My experience is different. I know what it is like to be very poor. I know what it is like to be told you will never amount to much. I know what it is like to have a mother that refused to let you make excuses. My mother made me read my way through the Detroit Public Library and right into Yale. I became a pediatric brain surgeon and spent my life caring for over 15,000 patients, many of them very sick children. I collected 67 honorary doctorate degrees. Time Magazine labeled me one of the top scientists in the world. President Bush gave me the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I have traveled, lectured, and saved lives in 57 countries around the world. All along the way Candy and I created our foundation that has helped almost 8,000 students pay for college. Still, I have no “political” experience. This country doesn’t need more politics. This country needs a revival. All of my life never once did I dream of becoming President. I was busy making a difference. And that is exactly why I am running today. I am not counting on lobbyists lining up to fund my campaign. I am counting on people like you and me. People that are sickened and ashamed of what has been coming out of Washington. People that are willing to stand up and fight for the future of our great country, because our children and their children are worth fighting for. Please stand with me by making a donation to Carson America today. Together, we can heal, inspire and revive this great nation. Sincerely, Ben Carson