Carson signals end to campaign

Conservative Ben Carson signaled an end to his presidential campaign on Wednesday after his poor showing in the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses, when he collected only three delegates out of the nearly 600 available.

"I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening's Super Tuesday primary results," Carson said in a statement, adding that he would skip a Republican debate on Thursday, which should effectively end his campaign.

He said that he would provide more details about his campaign run in a speech at a conservative gathering in Washington on Friday. However, his longtime friend and advisor, Armstrong Williams, said Carson would no longer ask for votes.

"There's only one candidate in this 2016 election on the GOP side, and his name is Trump. That's the reality," Williams told AP.

The 64-year-old retired neurosurgeon stood out early in opinion polls among Republicans, but his campaign largely floundered when he failed to make a major impact in recent debates. Questions about his familiarity with foreign policy were also raised after Paris terror attacks in November.

His exit from the Republican presidential race leaves Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich as the remaining Republican candidates to face outspoken businessman Donald Trump, who strengthened his lead with a string of victories on Super Tuesday.

smm/bw (Reuters, AP)