Physician Ben Carson eyes May announcement of presidential bid

Reuters
Ben Carson, a retired surgeon popular with Tea Party conservatives, speaks at a luncheon during the Republican National Committtee's "Building on Success" meeting in San Diego, California, January 15, 2015. REUTERS/Earnie Grafton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retired surgeon Ben Carson on Sunday said he could form a committee to explore a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination this month and make a formal announcement in May. "That's a reasonable time frame," Carson told "Fox News Sunday" when asked by host Chris Wallace about the timing of an exploratory committee and formal announcement. "We're putting all that together." Carson, a former Fox News contributor who is popular with Tea Party conservatives, ranked fourth among possible Republican candidates in a recent Fox News poll of potential voters in Iowa, coming in behind former Florida Governor Job Bush, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. The poll showed growing support for Carson, a bestselling author and conservative commentator, with 10 percent of potential voters saying they would vote for Carson, up from about 8 percent last year. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Stephen Powell)