Filing Reveals Details of Ben Carson’s Campaign Fundraising, Spending

Wall Street Journal ^ | 7/14/2015 | Rebecca Ballhaus

[iowamark]

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s campaign has spent roughly half the money it has raised since March, the bulk of it on fundraising operations, the campaign’s campaign finance filing shows.

Since Mr. Carson launched his campaign in March, it has raised $10.6 million and spent $5.8 million, 72% of which went to fundraising costs, including phone banks, direct mail and email lists, according to a campaign official...

Senior campaign aides are also pulling in hefty salaries, the disclosure shows. Barry Bennett, Mr. Carson’s campaign manager, earns $17,500 per month, which works out to an annual salary of $210,000. Monthly salaries for other senior staffers include $15,000 for senior strategist Ed Brookover; $16,666 for communications director Doug Watts; $13,300 for press secretary Deana Bass; and $6,800 for deputy press secretary Stephanie Marshall. National Finance Director Amy Pass earns $5,000 per month, in addition to commissions that in May and June worked out to about $9,000 each month....

[iowamark]

The Ben Carson campaign has always been a scam. They are pocketing the cash as fast as they are raising it. They aren't saving anything for the campaign because there will be no campaign.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I need to run next time. [chortle]

[Calpublican]

Doctors are notoriously bad money managers.

[proust]

Rule #1: pay yourself first.

[kingu]

The Ben Carson Nearly every campaign has always been a scam. They are pocketing the cash as fast as they are raising it. They aren't saving anything for the campaign because there will be no campaign.

There, fixed it for you. Please don't forget that at the end, the candidate gets a big check for the salary of the position they are running for (in this case, $400,000), straight out of the campaign funds BEFORE any other bill is paid.

Why does Sharpton and the rest of the clown possie run? That's why. Why do they file early and even if they 'end' their campaign, they still file the paperwork? 1 year + 1 day of campaigning doubles the payday to two years.

[proust]

And triples the attention they get.

[Apogee]

72 percent of 5.8 million spent is about 4.1 million, or roughly 39 percent of all money raised so far being spent on fundraising.

Unfortunately, I am not sure that places them all that high on the list of fundraising organizations who mostly exist to raise funds.

The way the article states it makes it sound really bad, but I would like to see comparisons to other campaigns (especially her’s who name shall not be mentioned, but who seems to have some truly problematic fundraising methods...)

[Raymann]

Well some other campaigns have PACs and other outside organizations raising money for them, Carsons team is having to build their fundraising teams from scratch.

[grania]

I would like to see comparisions...

That's the "lesser of two evils" argument. Whenever I get a call to give money, I always ask the caller if they're being paid. And I never give if they are. Why should I donate to the cause when they don't? I never give to an organization with high-paid management.

Saves me from wasting a lot of money. Charity and donation, for most causes, have become profitable enterprises.

[rrrod]

Excellent! Seems the so called social conservatives have been scammed again.....Ben Carson makes the huckster look honest. When will they learn?