Timothy Meinch

tmeinch@dmreg.com

Ben Carson won applause from a crowd of supporters Monday night when he announced he's sticking in the presidential race with intensified opposition to "dirty tricks" from other campaigns.

"I'm not going anywhere," the Republican presidential candidate said around 9:15 p.m. at his caucus night party in West Des Moines. Results showed the Republican candidate in a secure fourth place.

But the campaign expressed frustration after early rumors circling that Carson would drop out of the race. The rumors swirled on social media before Iowans even started caucusing, and campaign staff said they received texts and emails from precinct chairs who said Cruz supporters perpetuated the rumor in their caucus site speeches.

The Cruz campaign denied any involvement when asked by The Des Moines Register Monday.

"Our campaign hasn’t been pushing this whatsoever. If any surrogate said anything it would have been based on something else someone reported," Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said.

Carson called out the tactic during his speech to supporters.

"This latest set of dirty tricks just intensifies my desire to work extremely hard to break down the ugliness in this system and bring it back," Carson said.

The campaign said Carson was flying to Florida Monday night only to pick up clean clothes before resuming his campaign in New Hampshire later this week.

Carson, who has repeatedly declined to attack rival GOP candidates, touted a conservative message aimed at dismantling political correctness and “progressive left” values. His platform focuses on reducing the national debt for the next generation, bolstering the military and preserving Christian values. Carson's campaign also centered on his personal story of faith and leveraging education to overcome inner-city poverty, which earned him a storybook career as a globally-known neurosurgeon.

MORE CAUCUS NIGHT COVERAGE:

Carson in the fall briefly commanded the lead in Iowa among Republican caucusgoers.

But his slide in polling came along with criticism his knowledge of foreign policy when the threat of ISIS became a centerpiece in the presidential race.

In early January, Carson’s campaign manager and several top staffers resigned. Bennett went on to serve as an informal advisor for the Donald Trump campaign.

Carson described the staff transition as a much-needed staff shakeup that placed a retired Army General, Maj. Robert Dees, in charge.

"This is just the beginning," he told the crowd of supporters in West Des Moines Monday.

-- Register reporter Matthew Patane contributed to this article.