Ben Carson Barely Has a Campaign and He’s Still Winning

Ben Carson/Instagram

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Ben Carson’s presidential campaign is in chaos. His deputy campaign manager quit to return to his farm. His general counsel just went on a safari. His campaign chairman left almost as soon as Carson announced his candidacy to work on a pro-Carson super-PAC—one of three outside outfits supporting Carson’s run, while at the same time competing with each other for money and volunteers. Carson, meanwhile, is continuing to travel the country giving paid speeches—an unusual move for a candidate.

He’s also leading the entire Republican field, according to the most recent poll of the race from Monmouth:

Monmouth University

It’s early—the first meaningful votes won’t be cast until January. But Carson’s strategy of not really campaigning hasn’t hurt him yet. He’s actually jumped four points in the polls since his non-campaign began.

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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