Everything You Need To Know About Ben Carson

Name: Benjamin Solomon "Ben" Carson

Party: Republican

What he does now: Along with his wife, Carson is the co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, a philanthropic organization that awards $1,000 college scholarships to fourth- through eleventh-graders and builds "reading rooms" nationwide.

What he used to do: As chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, Carson was the first doctor to successfully separate conjoined twins fused at the head during a 22-hour marathon operation in 1987. He was also a pioneer in hemispherectomy, a procedure that removes half the brain to treat intractable seizures. In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Declared as a candidate: May 4, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan.

In his own words: "If I run for president, it will be because I know what it's like to grow up in a tough neighborhood and feel marginalized. If I run it will be because I know first-hand that quality education is the ladder to climb out of poverty and dependence," he said in a video announcing his exploratory committee. "If I run, it will be because I know that the very survival of our great country depends on strong leadership."

How he grew up: Carson, now 63, grew up in "dire poverty" with an illiterate single mother in Detroit. Sonya Carson (ne Copeland) worked two or three jobs at a time rather than "give up" and accept welfare, Carson said, instilling a tremendous work ethic in him and his older brother, Curtis.

One thing you need to know to understand him: Frustrated by his family's tough circumstances, a young Carson once tried to stab a classmate in the gut with a camping knife after a minor disagreement. Luckily, a large metal belt buckle blocked the blade. "I was more terrified as I recognized that I was trying to kill somebody over nothing," he later explained. "I just locked myself up in the bathroom and started praying, 'Lord, I can't deal with this temper.' And I picked up my Bible."

Family tree: Carson met his wife, Candy, at Yale, where he earned his undergraduate degree. He earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan. They have three sons: Ben Jr. ("B.J."), Rhoeyce, and Murray.

Star turn: Carson is the subject of a made-for-TV movie, "Gifted Hands," starring Cuba Gooding Jr.

Breakout moment in politics: Carson burst on the political scene at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013, where he condemned political correctness, saying it "muffles people - it puts a muzzle on them." In front of President Obama, Carson blasted the tax code and criticized the president's signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act.

What he has said about race: "My mother used to say, 'If you walk into an auditorium full of racist, bigoted people,' she said, 'you don't have a problem, they have a problem,'" Carson told the Academy of Achievement in 2012. "If somebody else was having problems with the way I look, that's too bad. You know? I have more important things to do than to invest my energies in their problem ... A lot of times people blow things out of proportion."

Might have wished for a do-over: Prone to provocative statements, Carson often finds himself in hot water. Just two days after launching his 2016 exploratory committee, he made headlines by claiming prison proves homosexuality is "absolutely" a choice, and in 2013, he compared homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia. He also riled people when he called Obamacare "the worst thing since slavery" and said America's obsession with political correctness made it "very much like Nazi Germany."