Carson vs. Democrat

[Never]

Carson could lose against a generic Democrat, and it might not be particularly close. He could come out swinging, but he is the kind of candidate who runs the risk of flaming out. On the other hand, he does come from a unique background for a presidential nominee, and he might play well on the campaign trail, but I suspect that is unlikely.

Against Generic Democrat on a bad night:

Generic Democrat: 408 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 130 electoral votes

Against Generic Democrat on neutral night:

Generic Democrat: 375 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 178 electoral votes
 
Against Generic Democrat on a good night:

Generic Democrat: 347 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 191 electoral votes

I can come up with maps for a few of the non-Clinton candidates on neutral maps (my Hillary Clinton vs. Ben Carson map is about the same as Carson against a Generic Democrat on a bad night, but with Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kentucky added to Clinton's column).

Let's start with Biden, arguably the second most likely Democratic nominee after Clinton:

Vice President Joseph Biden (D-DE): 364 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 174 electoral votes

Next, Elizabeth Warren. She is a weak general election candidate, but Carson is one of the few Republicans who would give her a chance to win:

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): 332 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 206 electoral votes

Kirsten Gillibrand is one of the stronger Democratic candidates in my opinion, and against Carson she would probably coast to becoming the first female president:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): 405 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 133 electoral votes

Mark Warner would do slightly better than Gillibrand:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY): 408 electoral votes
Dr. Benjamin Carson (R-MD): 130 electoral votes

[Never]

I know we are all religiously tied to the idea that the current, Obama era political climate/landscape shall last forever, but there is NO scenario in which AZ, MT and ND go Democrat while AR and WV are over SIXTY PERCENT GOP!!

Never mind that Arkansas and West Virginia were already trending right before Obama was president? That, and people sometimes forget to change the percentage of the state when they're making seven election maps.

[Never]

I know we are all religiously tied to the idea that the current, Obama era political climate/landscape shall last forever, but there is NO scenario in which AZ, MT and ND go Democrat while AR and WV are over SIXTY PERCENT GOP!!

Never mind that Arkansas and West Virginia were already trending right before Obama was president? That, and people sometimes forget to change the percentage of the state when they're making seven election maps.

They were trending right, sure, but not really locally until Obama was in office.  Democrats dominated their races even in 2010.  IMO, it's incredibly more likely that they swing back toward Democrats with a non-Obama (and especially Clinton) nominee than it is for them to go the way of Idaho and Wyoming...

That's a good point, but if the presidential electorate is continues moving to the right, Republicans might still be able to lose nationally by a significant margin and still win decisively in West Virginia and Arkansas. Granted, they might not win at least 60% of the vote, so I'll try to edit my maps accordingly. 

[Never]

I wonder how Carson would appeal to African Americans and to withe racists.
If he runs against a Southern Democrat (say Clinton), he might even lose Mississippi, which has been trending (media) blue for a long time.
The election map would look odd ...

I wouldn't say that Carson would lose Mississippi; perhaps increased black support for him relative to other Republicans could counteract his loss in white support to a degree, similar to how Sen. Thad Cochran was assisted by increased black support. Most deeply Republican Southern states would be closer than they are now in a Carson vs. Clinton matchup, but I would expect Mississippi and Alabama at the very least to be Carson victories.

[Never]

I wonder how Carson would appeal to African Americans and to withe racists.
If he runs against a Southern Democrat (say Clinton), he might even lose Mississippi, which has been trending (media) blue for a long time.
The election map would look odd ...

When in the holy hell has MS been trending media blue?? Oh, and way to race bait

Um...

[Never]

This is what the map between Ben Carson and Hillary Clinton could potentially look like IMO (especially if Carson runs a particularly bad campaign):

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY)/Senator Mark Warner (D-VA): 420 Electoral Votes
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson (R-MD)/Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA): 118 Electoral Votes

Lol why in the world would he pick Santorum?

I wasn't really sure on a running-mate for Carson and figured that Santorum would have been the most likely choice for him.

Carson is very conservative, but I suspect he is the kind of candidate who would be willing to choose a more moderate running mate in order to balance the ticket. Cathy McMorris Rodgers wouldn't overshadow him too much, and neither would Kelly Ayotte; unfortunately I'm not sure how the Republican base would accept a ticket comprised of a black man and a white woman

Also, one comment about your map: why wouldn't Louisiana vote Democratic in your map, especially since Hillary Clinton is the party's nominee? Louisiana is more urban than Mississippi, and both have a significant minority presence, so if the latter flips, the former should as well.

[Never]

Carson is very conservative, but I suspect he is the kind of candidate who would be willing to choose a more moderate running mate in order to balance the ticket. Cathy McMorris Rodgers wouldn't overshadow him too much, and neither would Kelly Ayotte; unfortunately I'm not sure how the Republican base would accept a ticket comprised of a black man and a white woman

Also, one comment about your map: why wouldn't Louisiana vote Democratic in your map, especially since Hillary Clinton is the party's nominee? Louisiana is more urban than Mississippi, and both have a significant minority presence, so if the latter flips, the former should as well.

Nah, Carson is a complete fool and novice when it comes to politics and believes his generic far right paternalistic nonsense actually reflects the views of mainstream Americans if only they weren’t distorted by the politically correct media, etc.  I could see him thinking someone like Santorum would be a perfect fit actually.

I suppose it depends on how you look at it. Reagan was basically a celebrity politician, yet even he felt it was a good idea to balance his ticket with George H.W. Bush. Carson might surprise us all with his vice-presidential pick if he somehow becomes the Republican nominee. I just don't see Santorum as being the perfect fit for Carson (a plausible fit, yes...). Santorum seems more combative than Carson, and some of Santorum's past comments, like calling President Obama a snob regarding the subject of college education, probably wouldn't align with Carson's way of thinking.