In the midst of his presidential campaign, Republican candidate Ben Carson is making a stop in Bryan-College Station Monday.  
Carson’s 40-city book tour promoting “A More Perfect Union” will be at Hastings in Bryan at 4 p.m. Oct. 19. Krista Albright, operations manager of Premiere Marketing Inc., Carson’s book tour provider, said the evening will consist only of a book signing and attendees are “discouraged” from taking cell phone photos.
“A More Perfect Union” explores policy issues such as equal marriage rights, the right to bear arms, taxation and freedom of religion. Joseph Ura, associate professor of political science, said Carson’s choice of states to tour is motivated by his desire to reach a large audience with his book. 
“He is touring states where he is most likely to gain political support, states with large numbers of religious social conservatives, which tend to be in the South and Midwest,” Ura said.
Ura said Carson is a brilliant physician with an inspiring life story, but campaign efforts like this are not enough. Ura said despite his strong showing so far, it remains deeply unlikely he will win the Republican presidential nomination. 
“Dr. Carson is very likely to be aware of that, and so I take his current campaign less as a serious run for the White House in 2016 and more as a first step to building a national political reputation as a leader of the conservative movement — either as a stepping stone for another run at public office or simply a more prominent place in the nation’s political discourse,” Ura said.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at Hastings. Because the event is sponsored by Hastings, anyone who wishes to bring their own pre-bought copy must prove it was purchased at Hastings.
Albright said there will be a professional photographer on hand to keep things moving quickly.
“We will have a photographer on the bus who will take photos of each person as they go through the line,” Albright said. “The pictures will be placed on [DrCarsonTour.com] and are available for download for free.”