Politics
Ben Carson campaign gathers momentum as he raises $20 million in 3 months
Latest numbers indicate that Ben Carson raised at least US$20 million – an amount that has not only reaffirmed his viability as a Republican presidential candidate, it has propelled him into a league of superstar fundraisers such as Democratic contender Hillary Clinton and US President Barack Obama.
But unlike Clinton and Obama, Carson lacks access to deep-pocketed donors from corporate America and Hollywood who have been the traditional sources of massive campaign war chests of presidential candidates.
Nor is Carson following the traditional path of building his candidacy brick-by-brick through a prolific schedule of appearances in key early primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
Instead, Carson has been building a huge, and loyal, digital audience. Close to half of the US$20 million tally raised in the last 3 months came from online sources, Barry Bennett, Carson’s campaign manager, told reporters.
Carson’s online fundraising strategy – similar to one employed by Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders – contrasts with the big-ticket fundraising events traditionally favored by presidential candidates. His US$20 million outpaced the Republican frontrunner from the 2012 election, Mitt Romney, who took in US$14 million over the same 3-month period. And it was comparable to the amount Obama raised during his first campaign in the summer of 2007.
He was not far behind Clinton, a powerhouse fundraiser, who raked in US$28 million over the last 3 months.
While Carson is known for being quietly spoken on the campaign trail, he speaks volumes on the Internet. Some online supporters are attracted to his compelling life story and his anti-establishment rhetoric; others simply because his daily presence on social media makes them feel more involved in his campaign.
Facebook has become Carson’s chief weapon. While his Twitter following (over 700,000) pales in comparison to Clinton’s (4.4 million) and Donald Trump’s (4.3 million), the front runner for the Republican nomination, his Facebook page is the most popular in the entire 2016 race.
Carson holds brief chats every weekday evening and answers 3 questions from users. His performance on Facebook in September exceeded that of other Republican candidates. He notched up more than 8.2 million “engagements,” according to data compiled by NewsWhip, a social media analytics firm. Engagements consist of likes, shares and comments on posts. By comparison, Carson’s nearest rival, Trump, generated about 6.3 million engagements.
Social media has buoyed Carson in other ways. Bennett said the campaign drew thousands to an event in Phoenix in August by simply advertising online days before the event.
