(CNN) Ben Carson doesn't "see a political path forward" in the Republican presidential nomination process, and will not attend Thursday's GOP presidential debate in his hometown of Detroit, he said in a statement.

But Carson stopped short of saying he was officially leaving the race.

The retired neurosurgeon and his aides reached the decision after a staff meeting Wednesday morning in Baltimore following a disappointing finish on Super Tuesday.

In an email to supporters, campaign chairman Bob Dees said the "political efforts must come to a close."

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"We have often said that 'reality is our friend.' The reality is that we together have been on an amazing journey -- the right candidate for the right cause for the right reasons at the right time," Dees wrote.

"No doubt many of you have tears as you read this, just as I tearfully write these words -- tearfully because the reality is that our political efforts must come to a close," he added. "Gratefully, the grass roots movement that has given new voice to 'We the People' and has inspired millions will continue."

Carson said he will go into more detail during an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Committee Conference near Washington on Friday.

It appears to end what once seemed like a promising campaign for the first-time political candidate. He was the first GOP candidate to overtake Donald Trump in the polls for a period of several weeks around October. But as fall turned to winter, Carson consistently lost ground to Trump and later Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

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"Ted Cruz is my man," Phil Robertson, best known for his role on the A&E reality television show "Duck Dynasty," has endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination."Ted Cruz is my man," he said. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



"Bernie's like a kush, like the best kind of weed you can get, because he's the answer to all our problems," Chong told CNN. Comedian Tommy Chong loves Bernie Sanders and has endorsed the Vermont senator for president."Bernie's like a kush, like the best kind of weed you can get, because he's the answer to all our problems," Chong told CNN. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



"I'm embarrassed to say this, but it took me far too long to start voting," Dunham told the crowd. "I had been of legal age for more than four years before I cast my first vote in the 2008 presidential election. It's not that I didn't care, but I didn't believe that me caring mattered. It was impossible for me to comprehend that one young woman checking a box after waiting in a long line could matter on a national level." Around 200 people crowded into a New Hampshire restaurant in January to see retired soccer star Abby Wambach (arms outstretched) and actress Lena Dunham (wearing the hat). Both endorsed Hillary Clinton. "I'm embarrassed to say this, but it took me far too long to start voting," Dunham told the crowd. "I had been of legal age for more than four years before I cast my first vote in the 2008 presidential election. It's not that I didn't care, but I didn't believe that me caring mattered. It was impossible for me to comprehend that one young woman checking a box after waiting in a long line could matter on a national level." Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



In January, Clinton and Lovato drew a crowd of largely young women to the University of Iowa campus, where Lovato vouched for Clinton. After performing her hit song "Confident," Clinton turned to a new celebrity surrogate -- singer Demi Lovato -- in an effort to win over young women in Iowa, a state where Sanders' strength depends largely on his ability to turn out the youth vote.In January, Clinton and Lovato drew a crowd of largely young women to the University of Iowa campus, where Lovato vouched for Clinton. After performing her hit song "Confident," Lovato said: "I don't think there's a woman more confident than Hillary Clinton." Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



"I'm voting for Bernie Sanders, because he doesn't take any corporate money," UFC champion Ronda Rousey endorsed Sanders for president."I'm voting for Bernie Sanders, because he doesn't take any corporate money," Rousey told Maxim magazine. "I don't think politicians should be allowed to take money for their campaigns from outside interests." Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



She told Actress Eva Longoria has been an outspoken Clinton supporter since Clinton's 2008 campaign.She told TMZ in 2013 that if Clinton ran for President, she'd "absolutely" support her. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



Perry has been Katy Perry, wearing Clinton's famous H logo on her white dress, rallies Clinton supporters outside a dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, in October.Perry has been outspoken on social media about her support for Clinton. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election? "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane is a Sanders supporter. He introduced the Vermont senator at a rally in October, telling the crowd , "He's the only candidate on either side who truly seems to grasp the magnitude of the catastrophe (of climate change)." Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



He wrote that Sanders is "a mature, thoughtful and intelligent man." Basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post slamming GOP candidate Donald Trump and praising Sanders for how they've handled their campaigns.He wrote that Sanders is "a mature, thoughtful and intelligent man." Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election? In an interview with The New York Times magazine, musician Kid Rock said that he was "very interested" in the things Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has to say. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



Norris also endorsed Huckabee when he ran for President in 2008. Actor Chuck Norris has a very public bromance with former GOP candidate Mike Huckabee. When Huckabee announced his candidacy, Norris told The New York Times in a statement, "I still believe Mike Huckabee is the most qualified."Norris also endorsed Huckabee when he ran for President in 2008. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election? Actor James Woods took to Twitter to say how much he admired Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, saying he was "proud to support this remarkable woman and her historic campaign." Fiorina suspended her candidacy in February. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election?



She took a selfie with Clinton, writing, "I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident." Television personality Kim Kardashian endorsed Clinton in a Facebook post shortly after the first GOP debate wrapped in August.She took a selfie with Clinton, writing, "I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country! #HillaryForPresident." Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election? "Pawn Stars" star Rick Harrison told CNN's Chris Moody that he endorsed Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, but the decision could cost him. He said he was "deeply impressed" with Rubio when he first met him, but that as a celebrity, getting political does worry him "to a degree." Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: Who have celebrities endorsed for the 2016 election? Rapper 50 Cent announced his support for Clinton, telling The Daily Beast , "It's Hillary time!" Hide Caption 16 of 16

Armstrong Williams, Carson's business adviser, said it is clear that Trump has things wrapped up.

"Everyone needs to come to the realization that Donald Trump will be the nominee when it's all said and done," Williams said in an interview. "And that's the reality. I know they're saying they have the best chance of toppling Trump, but let's admit it, they have no pathway either. And every event, let's admit it, Trump has done well. ... Since Iowa, he has been steamrolling."

Williams also insisted Carson will back the GOP primary winner. "Dr. Carson will support the eventual nominee," he said.

Bumpy road on the campaign trail

Carson never made a cogent argument for his candidacy, running mostly on his biography rather than policy and political views. Carson undisputedly had an impressive personal story to tell. He overcame a troubled youth in inner-city Detroit, becoming a star student and eventually a world-class neurosurgeon. He won international acclaim in the late 1980s after successfully separating conjoined twins.

In June 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Carson the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. "For a time, young Ben Carson was headed down that same path," Bush said at the time. "Yet through his reliance on faith and family, he turned his life into a sharply different direction."

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But Carson's origin story took a hit after a CNN report raised questions about claims he made about violent episodes as a youth. Trump, rising in the polls, took to mocking Carson , particularly over a story from the surgeon's memoir about Carson attempting to stab a friend -- the knife broke in a half after hitting a large belt buckle.

Carson's debate performances didn't help, either. He often seemed halting in his speech patterns in a forum that prizes quick and snappy soundbites. And his command of policy appeared shaky -- he asserted that the Chinese were in Syria, a claim the White House disputed. He repeatedly deflected questions on how to confront ISIS, among other foreign policy challenges. Even on health care, Carson's seeming specialty, he didn't have many specifics to offer beyond saying that Obamacare should be abolished.

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Carson's campaign also suffered internal conflicts, with competing power centers often at odds. In the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, a contest that was crucial to his chances because of his connections with evangelicals, the tensions came to a head, with his top advisers leaving the campaign. Adding to the turmoil, Carson's former advisers were unusually public in their criticism of Carson as a candidate and of his campaign structure.

When voting actually began with the February 1 Iowa caucuses, Carson wasn't much of a factor except as a spoiler. He finished fourth at 9.3%. His New Hampshire primary showing was even worse. Carson finished eighth, with only 2.3% of the vote -- ahead only of candidates who had dropped out of the race but whose names remained on the ballot. Then in the February 20 South Carolina primary, Carson finished sixth, with less than 8% of the vote.

Running for Senate?

Republican operatives, looking to move Carson out of the race as they try to remove obstacles to finding a challenger to Trump, were planning Wednesday to suggest he drop out and instead run for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida

John Philip Sousa IV, who operates the 2016 Committee, a pro-Carson super PAC, said he has not spoken with Carson but would be intrigued by the possibility of a Senate race.

"Would he be a great U.S. senator? Absolutely. Would we support him all the way? You bet we would," Sousa said in an interview.

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Sousa suggested the super PAC could back one of the other GOP candidates should Carson endorse one. Another option would be to convert "into an anti-Hillary super PAC, which we could easily do and which we believe our supporters would be very excited about," to attack the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

For his part, Williams said he thought the Florida concept is a non-starter.

"Isn't it flattering that people in Florida think so highly of Dr. Carson that they would want him to run for Senate seat in Florida? I think they wanted him to run in Florida because they wanted him out of the race," he said.

"I don't need to advise him on that because I already know that he has no interest in that. Remember, they also tried to get him to do the same in the state of Maryland, this is not the first time he's been approached about this."