Possible GOP Candidate Sorry for Saying Being Gay is a Choice

Detroit native Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon famous for his work separating conjoined twins, announced this week that he is forming a presidential exploratory committee. (Photo via Facebook)

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A celebrated neurosurgeon who grew up poor in Detroit and bills himself as “a member of ‘we the people’ ” had barely tweeted out an announcement this week that he’s forming a 2016 presidential exploratory committee before he was apologizing for remarks that being gay is a choice.

Dr. Ben Carson, the first in a likely crowded field of Republicans to formalize his interest in the presidency, said on his Facebook page that he realized after his assertion that prisons are evidence that homosexuality is an option “does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues.”

“I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive,” said Carson, who is popular among the Republican Party’s most conservative members. “For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended.”

Carson, 63, made the controversial remarks in an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo Wednesday. When asked, Carson said homosexuality “absolutely” is a choice.

“Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight – and when they come out, they’re gay,” he told CNN. “So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.”

“No Excuses”

Best known for his work separating conjoined twins as the head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Carson said on his Facebook page that he’s a political neophyte and “answered a question without really thinking about it thoroughly.”

“No excuses,” he wrote. “I deeply regret my statement and I promise you, on this journey, I may err again, but unlike politicians when I make an error I will take full responsibility and never hide or parse words. As a human being my obligation is to learn from my mistakes and to treat all people with respect and dignity.”

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Carson, the only African American expected to enter the race, was raised by a single mother and overcome adversity, according to his likely campaign manager, Terry Giles. Carson went on to attend Yale University and the University of Michigan Medical School, then joined Johns Hopkins, where he became an internationally renowned neurosurgeon.

“In every aspect of Dr. Carson’s life, he has exemplified true leadership,” Giles said in a news release. “Overcoming dire poverty in his youth to become head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Carson is uniquely situated to understand the needs and hopes of all Americans.

Determined to Become an Early Favorite

Carson is doing better in polls than many Republicans, and appears to be serious about becoming an early favorite among voters of both major parties. A party outsider, he only registered as a Republican in November, and hasn’t voted in the last several primary elections.

“I see myself as a member of ‘we the people,’ “ he told the Detroit Free Press. “I see myself as a logical American who has common sense, and I think that’s going to resonate with a lot of Americans, regardless of their political party or where they fit in that party.”

Also on Patch:

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• U.S. Government Supports Transgendered Teen in Detroit Lawsuit
• Lesbian Couple Says Pediatrician Turned Away Newborn Because They Are Gay
• Religious Freedom Bills Back Before Michigan Legislature
• Michigan Could Become a Presidential Battleground State in 2016

The exploratory committee allows Carson to raise money, which he can transfer to an official campaign. He is already assembling staffs in Iowa and South Carolina, including a former Newt Gingrich aide and a motivational speaker whose job will be to energize the campaign.

Giles said in an interview with the Associated Press said “there’s a great likelihood” Carson will formally announce his candidacy in May.

Carson is polling well in the middle of the pack by a couple of recent measures.

He placed fourth last week in Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll, behind Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and ahead of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. He finished just below the top tier in a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg survey of Republicans likely to participate in the Iowa Caucuses.

Carson gained popularity among the GOP’s most conservative voters when he criticized President Obama’s signature health-care act at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013. Among other pejoratives, Carson has compared the U.S. to Nazi Germany and the Affordable Care Act to slavery.

“Scary, Narrow-Minded and Out of Touch”

Republicans, whose first sanctioned GOP debate is in August, are under pressure to move away from social issues like gay marriage, which experts said figured heavily in Republican losses at the polls in 2012.

An election post-mortem by the Republican National Committee revealed a perception on the part of some voters that the party is “scary,” “narrow-minded” and “out of touch,” and that it’s a party of “stuffy old men.”

The warning comes as Americans increasingly accept same-sex marriage. A May Gallup poll showed that 55 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage.

Among Republican voters, support is 30 percent – and it’s slightly higher, 31 percent, among self-described conservative voters.

As other possible Republican candidates distance themselves with cautious responses after Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore ordered definiance of a ruling allowing same-sex marriages, or skirt the issue altogther, Carson remains enthusiastic in his support Roy.

“Roy Moore understands the importance of preserving states’ rights in the modern post-Civil War world in which we live,” Carson told POLITICO in an email sent from his spokesman.