Ben Carson launches new campaign to convince Christians to vote after quitting presidential race

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has pulled out of the electoral race, but he has launched a new campaign to convince American Christians to vote.

During the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week, the retired neurosurgeon announced that he will head the non-profit organization My Faith Votes. Ben Carson's new campaign involves encouraging Christian voters to participate in the upcoming elections.

While Carson's new group is non-partisan and non-denominational, he will focus on campaigning to convince Christians to use their power to vote, My Faith Votes' spokesman Johnnie Moore explained. In an email, Moore also said the organization's central cause is to remind people of faith of their moral responsibility to vote by tapping televangelists, local preachers, radio personalities, and even YouTube. The organization is also planning to talk to Catholic leaders next.

"It is my faith that motivated me to be involved in the political process to begin with. I believe Christians in this country can easily determine the next president of the United States and all other national and local leaders, should they simply show up at the polls," said Carson in his statement. "When we do vote, We The People will once again solidify our commitment to the Judeo-Christian values upon which our nation was founded."

Carson's decision to serve as the national chairman of My Faith Votes was met with a standing ovation by the crowd in Washington, D.C. on Friday. He acknowledged that a lot of people love him but will not vote for him in the presidential elections.

In an interview with Time, Carson said he had prayed that the Lord would open doors for his presidential candidacy even if he really did not want to run for the position. His campaign soared initially, but later on was not able to compete with Donald Trump and other GOP frontrunners. 

Now that Carson has suspended his presidential campaign, speculation has surfaced about who his supporters will now vote for. Carson, however, said he is leaving it up to his followers to assess the presidential candidates and choose the best one for them.