The CPAC crowd that roared as Ted Cruz lit up the stage with a rousing speech, whistling and cheering as he exited like a rock star to “Welcome to the Jungle” blasting in the background, immediately fell into a blissful reverie as Dr. Ben Carson, amateur somnambulist, took the stage to talk about his post-presidential candidacy plans.

Streams of Cruz supporters left the Potomac ballroom (and few came back in) as Carson was introduced by A.C.U. chairman Matt Schlapp, and those remaining clapped with polite enthusiasm as the retired neurosurgeon came onstage. Reporters slowly drifted out of their filing pen in the back, with several grumbling about the extraordinarily tight Secret Service security, which had descended upon CPAC to guard the presidential candidates, as Carson formally ended his dreamlike quest for the White House.

Dressed in a somber black suit, Carson confirmed his earlier announcement that he would become the chairman of My Faith Votes, a group focused on reaching out to the millions of evangelical voters who did not vote in previous elections. Echoing another failed presidential candidate, Bobby Jindal, Carson warned the crowd of a rising tide of “secular progressivism” creeping into American politics, and explained that he would drop out of the race as a result.

His supporters groaned as he officially acknowledged he was suspending his campaign, then stood up in applause, long and loud, a reminder that the one-time front-runner was still, despite any obvious presidential qualities, a crowd-pleaser. “You know, a lot of people love me, they just won’t vote for me,” he said ruefully.

Among those who stayed to watch Carson bow out, several had hoped he would make an endorsement, but largely did not mind that they'd remained in the ballroom.

“I never supported Ben Carson, but he’s one of those guys—you can’t hate him,” said a young man, one of several Hillsdale College students gathered on the convention floor. They all agreed with his sentiment, though when asked who they supported, nearly all unanimously chimed, “Cruz!”

“I could tell he looks sad about it, whenever he said he was dropping out, everyone kind of booed. They all respected him ... it seems like he really respects the party,” said Taylor Stephenson of Marshall University, standing with two friends elsewhere. “He wants what’s best for it.”

“He puts a lot of love into it,” added fellow Marshall student Nathan Korne, a former Carson supporter who, as he described it, drifted towards libertarianism and became a Rand Paul fan, but still admired Carson for his life story. “Can I say one thing?” he asked suddenly. “Ben Carson, compared to all the other candidates, will get number one at being most adorable.”