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Bobby Jindal drops out. Which 14 Republicans are left for 2016?

The GOP has a history of nominating people who have run before, which could give heart to some familiar faces. But there’s also a crop of first-timers who could steal the show.

5. Ben Carson

Susan Walsh/AP
Dr. Ben Carson, professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, speaks in National Harbor, Md., March 8.

The renowned neurosurgeon, now retired, officially waded into the 2016 GOP fray May 4, 2015. Dr. Carson is also the only African American in an increasingly crowded field of Republican candidates, giving him added cachet in a party eager to woo minority voters.

Carson has never run for office, but he knows how to serve up political red meat. On race relations, “I actually believe that things were better before this president was elected,” he said Nov. 25, 2014.

At the 2013 Values Voter Summit, Carson said the Affordable Care Act is "the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery."

On Newsmax TV, he said this in January 2014: “If you let the economy work the way it's supposed to in a free market environment, there'll be plenty of jobs.”

Carson may be a flash in the pan, but for now, he has a core of support and has won some straw polls. 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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