The Democratic National Committee is going after Ben Carson — who won a presidential straw poll of Republican voters in Iowa over the weekend — by drawing attention to colorful remarks made by the neurosurgeon.
On Monday, the DNC sent a short email to reporters about “Ben Carson’s 2016 Momentum.” The committee linked to a Des Moines Register story about Carson winning the Polk County Republican Party straw poll on Sunday.
The DNC then drew attention to previous headlines about Carson, including “Ben Carson: Obamacare worst thing ‘since slavery'” and “Ben Carson: America’s now ‘very much like Nazi Germany.'”
Carson — the former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital — has acknowledged that he is considering a White House campaign.
The author and public speaker has been increasingly mentioned as a possible candidate, following a burst of attention last year for famously arguing a conservative message at the National Prayer Breakfast as President Barack Obama sat just a few feet away.
A close friend and adviser to Carson recently told The Daily Caller that he believes it is likely the neurosurgeon will run as a Republican for president in 2016.
“I think he’s very, very serious,” said Terry Giles, who would serve as chairman of the campaign if Carson pulls the trigger on a run. “If it were on the big board in Vegas, I’d probably be betting in favor of the fact he’s going to run.”