For Immediate Release
November 13, 2015            

Dr. Ben Carson Announces State Chair for Mississippi

Alexandria, VA – November 13, 2015 - Today, Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon and 2016 GOP presidential candidate, announced that the Honorable Charles W. Pickering will serve as his Mississippi State Chair. Retired Judge Pickering will help rally support for Dr. Carson among Republican primary voters in the Hospitality State.

Judge Pickering is a native of Jones County, Mississippi, and has served as the City Prosecutor in Laurel and a prosecutor for Jones County. From 1976 to 1978, Pickering was the Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. He chaired the subcommittee of the Platform Committee of the 1976 Republican National Convention that called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade. In 1983, he was elected as President of the Mississippi Baptist Convention and served until 1985.

On October 2, 1990, Pickering was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi by President George Herbert Walker Bush. In January of 2004, President George W. Bush appointed him to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Pickering is married to Margaret Ann Pickering, with whom he has three daughters and one son, former U.S. Representative Charles "Chip" Pickering, Jr.

“I am pleased and honored that Dr. Ben Carson has asked me to serve as his Mississippi State Chair.” Pickering said. “He has the integrity and moral authority to lead and bring America together. I encourage my fellow Mississippians to join me and help elect Dr. Carson our next President.”

“I am honored that Judge Pickering has joined my campaign,” said Dr. Ben Carson. “I am grateful for his trust and confidence and look forward to working with him to offer my solutions for Mississippians and Americans across the country.”

According to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal national survey, Dr. Carson is the leading contender for the Republican presidential race and has the support of 29 percent of the GOP’s primary voters. In a recent Quinnipiac poll, he is the only Republican leading the current Democrat frontrunner in double digits.

Contact:
Ying Ma