Ben Carson said on Friday that he reevaluates the prospects of his presidential campaign on a daily basis. Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Carson responded to a question about his campaign's viability if he didn't do well in the upcoming South Carolina primary, saying, "I reassess the future of the campaign every day, so of course I will continue to do that," Politico reported.
Carson suggested he is well-suited for the voters of South Carolina, who go to the polls Feb. 20. "I understand the people here," Carson said, according to CBS News.
"I think they understand me and I believe we're going to do extraordinarily well here," Carson said Friday. "It's a matter of really getting out in front of enough audiences, so that they get a chance to see me and hear me as opposed to the way they have been characterized by many in the media."
He added, "We're going to do just fine and I think South Carolina will be the turning point."
If Carson is correct, polling does not reflect that. In recent polling, Carson is in fifth place only ahead of Ohio Gov. John Kasich among the remaining candidates. In recent averages compiled by RealClear Politics, Carson has 7.3 percent support, which is 30 points behind Republican front-runner Donald Trump. On a national scale, Carson is in fourth place, ahead of Jeb Bush and Kasich.
Carson acknowledged his poor showing in New Hampshire, where he finished in last place behind Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie - both of whom dropped out of the race following their performance in that state. "I had no expectation of doing well in New Hampshire and, you know, a lot of people who spent millions of dollars there and many, many weeks there didn't do that well, either," he said, according to TPM. "I was able to foresee that and you have to pick your battles."
