Ben Carson's campaign grinds on

Ben Carson would like you to know he's still running for president.

Despite heading home to "do laundry" instead of campaigning in New Hampshire after a loss in the Iowa caucuses, despite skipping out on his primary night election party in New Hampshire to catch an earlier flight to South Carolina, despite a rather incredulous boast on Saturday that he finished with as many delegates (zero) in South Carolina as every candidate but Donald Trump, he says he's in the race for the Republican nomination for the long haul.

"I actually do not accept what the media is trying to do," he said at a campaign event in Las Vegas on Sunday night. "They're trying to call the election after three or four primaries. There's a reason we have an extended process."

On a night when, a half-dozen miles away, Mr Trump was holding a rally in a packed, 8,000-seat arena, the man who once challenged the New York billionaire for first place in national polls was talking to around a hundred elderly residents of a suburban retirement community.

For more than 45 minutes he warned the greying crowd of the dangers the US faced - of decline, decay and creeping socialism. Many nodded in approval and murmured "yes" under their breath as he spoke.

A crowd of retirees before the Ben Carson event on Monday

And when prompted by audience questions, Mr Carson insisted that despite finishing last in the South Carolina primary and in the also-ran category in earlier votes in New Hampshire and Iowa, he wasn't going anywhere.

"One of the reasons why I don't listen to pundits who say you should get out of the race and let other people win is too many good people have gotten out of the race in the past, and we end up choosing between the lesser of evils," he said. "We need to choose people who can actually fix the problem."

He repeatedly told the crowd to visit his website, which he said had "almost any kind of policy you can imagine".

"It goes on and on," he said, adding that he hoped voters would start paying attention to the details now that the Republican presidential field is narrowing.

"If that happens, you'll see some pretty dramatic changes start to occur," he said.

Despite Mr Carson's protests, his candidacy has been largely written off by much of the media. While Mr Trump's nearby rally drew a who's who of the national press corp, Mr Carson's event was largely ignored.

The Secret Service still stands watch over the proceedings, but the screening of elderly retirees with their walkers and artificial hips seemed a bit absurd.

After the event, however, many of the attendees said the retired neurosurgeon had won their support.

"I thought his speech was inspiring, logical and it made sense," said Marty Glazman. "He had a thought-out plan. I came in with an open mind, but I can honestly say I'm now a supporter."

As for the perception that the Carson campaign was on its last legs, Glazman said he didn't want to be told what to think.

"I can figure out myself who might solve some of the problems."

How long will Ben Carson stay in the race?

John O'Brien said he found Mr Carson much more impressive in person than the portrayal of him that had come across in television clips and debate snippets.

"It's a whole different ballgame when you listen to him," he said. "Me and my eight friends are going to caucus for him."

Early in his speech, Mr Carson explained why he decided to run for president, after initially thinking he was going to have a quiet retirement from his medical practice.

"I said lord, if you open the doors, I will walk through them," he said. "And they were opened. And I will continue to walk through them as long as they are."

He compared his circumstances to the biblical battle of David and Goliath.

"Just put your seatbelts on, we're going to have a good time," he said.