BYRON YORK: Time For Ben Carson To Run A Real Race.

Ben Carson will declare his presidential candidacy in Detroit next Monday. Not a minute too soon.

The retired neurosurgeon and conservative star formed a presidential exploratory committee on March 3. Since then, he’s been traveling around the country in what might be called a non-strategic way — making paid speeches that he had longstanding commitments to give, appearing at events for his Carson Scholars Fund (which awards money to promising students around the country) and, in other ways, not directing any particular focus on the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. . . .

Carson will announce in Detroit. It’s a natural choice, since it is not just Carson’s hometown, but also a good political choice because some conservatives see the city, mired in bankruptcy and general, long-running decline, as a laboratory for new policies that could reverse its fortunes. Carson could direct special attention to the city’s problems.

Carson can also, with a well-done rollout next Monday, bring new attention to his fledgling campaign that would stop his slide in the polls. “It’s safe to say that all of the declared candidates so far have seen pops around their announcement,” notes Murray. “We see a great opportunity as Ben starts to define his message and positions on issues.”

Whatever Carson does, it will stand out from the rest of the field. Calling his approach to the 2016 race “unorthodox” would be an understatement. Carson speeches, even in a political setting, can seem more like TED talks on the values that brought him success in the decidedly non-political field of brain surgery. At the same time, Carson has deflected policy questions by saying he is not yet a candidate and is still studying the issues.

That ends soon.

I see more Ben Carson stickers around Knoxville than for any other candidate, for whatever that’s worth.