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On the trail with Ben Carson

Photographs by Philip Montgomery for CNN

Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and first-time candidate, led what at times seemed to be a promising presidential campaign. He was the first GOP candidate to threaten Donald Trump in the polls in October 2015. But as fall turned to winter, Carson lost ground to Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. In January, photographer Philip Montgomery spent time with Carson as he campaigned in Iowa days before the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Carson rides in a Secret Service motorcade in Des Moines, Iowa.
An audience waits for him to speak at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant.
A campaign staffer reviews Carson’s debate prep materials in a hotel conference room outside of Des Moines.
A Carson supporter's jacket hangs in a cloakroom during a campaign stop in Iowa City.
Carson flies on a private jet while campaigning in Iowa.
Tire tracks from Secret Service cars in a Des Moines parking lot.
Carson talks on the phone while backstage at Iowa Wesleyan University.
Two men at Carson's campaign event at Iowa Wesleyan University.
Flags at Iowa Wesleyan University.
A water tower in central Iowa. The state is the first to vote.
Carson is interviewed for television in Des Moines.