Ben Carson Is Headed Home for 'Fresh Clothes'

The first actual results of the 2016 election are finally coming in, candidates are plotting their post-Iowa trips to New Hampshire and South Carolina, and Ben Carson is ... taking a break to go home and get fresh clothes? So says campaign spokesman Jason Osborne, reports the Hill. Carson is "leaving Des Moines later tonight to avoid storm. Not suspending -- getting fresh clothes then back out Wednesday," he tweeted. Another tweet explained that Carson "has been on the road for 17 days" and needs those clothes. And a third tweet, perhaps anticipating reaction, insists, "Not standing down."

A CNN broadcast reported that Carson was heading back to Florida to prepare for Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast, which Salon notes could be "strategic" given that's the forum where he initially rose to national prominence. "Or it could be the first sign that he will be the next Republican candidate who believes the road to the White House is now too long and arduous for his campaign," writes Scott Eric Kaufman. The odd development comes as Politico reports on more turmoil in the Carson campaign, with his national finance chief resigning Thursday morning. (More Ben Carson 2016 stories.)