Famed neurosurgeon running for president

News.com.au

 BEN Carson, retired neurosurgeon turned conservative star, has confirmed that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
CARSON, who has never run for public office and will be a longshot candidate, is expected to be the only high-profile African-American to enter the Republican presidential primary as he tries to parlay his success as an author and speaker into a competitive campaign against established politicians.
"I'm willing to be part of the equation and therefore, I'm announcing my candidacy for president of the United States of America," he said in an interview aired Sunday night by Ohio's WKRC television station. He is set to make a more formal announcement during a speech from his native Detroit on Monday. Carson, 63, joins a crowded Republican primary field that could feature as many as two dozen candidates. Three other Republican senators have already entered the race: Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is also considered a leading candidate though he has not formally announced. Former first lady, US senator and secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton appears unlikely to face a formidable Democratic opponent in that party's primary campaign. Carson earned national acclaim during 29 years leading the pediatric neurosurgery unit of Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, where he still lives. He directed the first surgery to separate twins connected at the back of the head. His career was notable enough to inspire the 2009 movie, Gifted Hands, with actor Cuba Gooding Jr depicting Carson. He told the Associated Press in an interview earlier this year that his lack of political experience is an asset. "I see myself as a logical American who has common sense," he continued, "and I think that's going to resonate with a lot of American, regardless of their political party."