DETROIT, MI -- A leading supporter of Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon from Detroit who earlier this month launched an exploratory committee for a 2016 presidential bid, believes the Southwestern High School graduate could win over hometown voters despite the city's deep-seated liberal leanings.

Carson is a staunch conservative who's been winning over right-wing support for a White House run over the last two years.

He placed fourth among potential Republican candidates in a Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll last month, behind Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Vernon Robinson, director of the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, told WDET on Wednesday he believes Carson can use stories of his own experience rising from poverty in Detroit as an effective campaign tool.

"(Government spending) is not how we can help people break the cycle of dependency," Robinson said. "That approach is a great style when you're trying to make a case to folks who may not be registered Republicans.

"... Detroit is sort of a shrine to the success or failure of Democratic policies. And having visited it several times and watching a great city go down the tubes, I don't think he's going to have a hard time convincing the people of Detroit that these policies have failed. They have not created prosperity. They have not created opportunity."

Full interview here.