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Ben Carson withdraws from GOP debate, sees no "path forward"

The retired neurosurgeon picked up just eight delegates in 12 nominating contests Tuesday, by the least of the five remaining GOP candidates.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson announced Wednesday he would not attend the next GOP debate in Detroit, admitting that his poor primary performance left him without much of a plan.

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"I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening's Super Tuesday primary results," Carson said in a statement announcing he would skip Thursday's debate.

Carson picked up just eight delegates in the 12 nominating contests held Tuesday, by far the least of any of the five remaining Republican candidates.

The announcement appeared to indicate he was withdrawing from the race. But Carson, a wealthy retired surgeon, did not explicitly say that was the case. He vowed to continue his "grassroots movement."

Fellow GOP candidate John Kasich told a crowd in Michigan that Carson called him to say he was "suspending his campaign."

Carson said he'd clarify things in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Friday. 

This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.