Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina Join GOP Race for President

The three senators officially seeking the GOP nomination have been joined by two candidates with more experience in brain surgery and business than politics. "I'm willing to be part of the equation and therefore, I'm announcing my candidacy for president of the United States of America," retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson tells CBS 12. He's joined by former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, who confirms to George Stephanopoulos this morning that, yes, "I am running for president." The GOP field is filling up, notes the New York Times: Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul have already declared, and Mike Huckabee is expected to follow suit tomorrow. As for today's entrants, both Fiorina and Carson are emphasizing their status as political outsiders:

• Carson has never held political office, but polls put him right in the middle of the potential GOP field, ahead of the likes of Rick Santorum, reports CNN. Carson is scrapping a trip to Iowa today—where the Times notes a pro-Carson PAC says it has leaders in all 99 counties; he'll head instead to Dallas, where his mother, who has had Alzheimer's since 2011, is dying, reports the Washington Post. "There has to be a mourning process," Carson says. "And then I’ll move on."
• Fiorina, meanwhile, thinks Washington needs a newcomer to break up years of gridlock. "I think I’m the best person for the job because I understand how economy actually works," Fiorina said, per the New York Times. "I understand executive decision making, which is making a tough call in a tough time with high stakes." She's likely to be the only high-profile woman to seek the GOP nomination, notes the AP.

(More Ben Carson stories.)