Politics
Ben Carson campaign gathers momentum as he raises $20 million in 3 months
“We got 12,000 people to our event in Phoenix in less than 4 days,” Bennett said, adding, “All I did was post it on social media.”
Still, Carson’s fundraising prowess has skeptics, who say the campaign has spent money at a faster rate than other campaigns in an attempt to pump up its numbers. During the second quarter of the fundraising year, Carson spent 64 percent of the money he raised, more than any other candidate. His campaign has yet to disclose how much cash is left in its account.
Regardless of Carson’s non-traditional approach, he will have to figure out how to leverage his online popularity into an organized effort in early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina if he wants to succeed, said Patrick Ruffini, a Republican consultant who specializes in campaign analytics.
For now Carson trails only Trump in polls in those states, but he has spent little time there compared to some of his opponents. He has been traveling more widely to try to develop a national base of support. He has visited 37 states since announcing his candidacy, according to his campaign.
Carson is continuing to chase donors, both in traditional and nontraditional ways. He attended a US$1,000-a-plate fundraiser in Chicago late last month, and will be holding similar events in the coming weeks. But supporters can pay as little as US$250 in Augusta, Georgia, on October 15.
Carson’s campaign said his small donors still have money left in their pockets. More than 250,000 donors have given to the campaign at least twice, but with the average donation just US$51, they have far to go before they reach the federal individual contribution limit of US$2,700.
Source: Reuters
