Story highlights Former presidential candidate Ben Carson gave his first interview Wednesday night since dropping out of the presidential race

Carson told CNN's Erin Burnett that the GOP should focus on facts, not fights

Washington (CNN) Ben Carson said Wednesday he is open to supporting either GOP front-runner Donald Trump or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for president.

"You have to consider all the information, who is most likely to win, and what kind of shenanigans will drive voters away so they will not participate in the process. We have to be very careful in all those things," the retired neurosurgeon told CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront" in his first interview since dropping out of the 2016 race.

Carson also applauded Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for saying he regrets some of the comments he's made about Trump.

"I'm glad to see that Marco has come to the understanding that that is not presidential-type behavior. I hope everyone else will come to that soon because the issues that face us as a nation are incredibly serious," Carson said.

Carson's comments come the day before Thursday's presidential debate, hosted by CNN. The previous debate last week featured intense fighting that repeatedly turned personal between Cruz, Rubio and Trump.

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