During a campaign stop Wednesday, Ben Carson argued that Republicans have done a better job overall than their Democrats at getting past racism.
In response to a question about how black Republicans are treated, Carson said that they are treated “extremely well,” adding further that the GOP has done a “far superior job” than Democrats at “getting over racism.”
The 2016 hopeful is fourth in the Washington Examiner‘s latest power rankings behind only Trump, Carly Fiorina and Sen. Marco Rubio.
“I find black Republicans are treated extremely well in the Republican Party,” Carson told reporters during a campaign stop in Jackson, Mich. “Very welcome.”
“In fact, I don’t hear much about being a black Republican,” Carson continued. “I hear a lot about what you believe and the kinds of principles that you’re espousing and your love for America. And I think that’s far more important.”
“I think the Republicans have done a far superior job to the Democrats of getting over racism,” Carson said.
When pressed by a reporter on how he would define that, the former neurosurgeon responded: “I would define that as people who look at the color of a person’s skin and make a judgment about them based on that. That’s racism.”
According to a RealClearPolitics average, Carson is currently sitting second behind Donald Trump in national polls with 18.8 percent support.
