Carson, from 2012, was a councillor for Castle Douglas and Glenkens. He succeeded
Peter Duncan who was the former MP for
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale. In
2015 he stood for the
UK Parliament as the Conservative candidate for the
Dumfries and Galloway constituency where he was unsuccessful and came second to the SNP's
Richard Arkless by 11.5% of the vote. In 2016 he stood for the
Scottish Parliament in Galloway and West Dumfries, in place of the retiring Conservative MSP
Alex Fergusson. Carson is the convener of the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Islands Committee. At the
2021 Scottish Parliament election Carson was re-elected as MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries with an increased majority of 2,635 votes over the SNP's
Emma Harper who finished in second place. Carson said he was "absolutely delighted" his vote share increased and while he thought "
Indyref2 played some part in some people’s votes" he attributed his victory it to people supporting his position of challenging the Scottish Government on issues relating to "investment in the south-west and particularly in the west of the region in
Stranraer". On 12 January 2022, Carson called for
Boris Johnson to resign as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister over the
Westminster lockdown parties controversy along with a majority of Scottish Conservative MSPs. ==References==