Carson’s personal brand benefits from presidential campaign

In an interview with the Associated Press at his Maryland home – conducted without the knowledge of his own campaign manager – Carson said “personnel changes” could be coming, suggesting he is about to sideline his top aides.

A statement issued in Carson’s name was delivered to reporters, according to Politico, in which Carson said he had “100 percent confidence in my campaign team” and that senior staff would remain in place.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told the Washington Post in an interview on Wednesday he blames his advisers for his drop in opinion polls and plans a shake-up of campaign staff. CNN previously reported in that Carson’s marketing crusade was in crisis & in that the unorthodox structure of the neophyte politician’s marketing crusade was proving to be a legal responsibility.

(Carson) “Every single thing is on the table, I’m looking carefully”. Everything is on the table, every job is on the table.

“We are looking at efficiencies”, Carson says, “We are making sure all the salaries are in line with the average salaries”. “It’s not ideal and we’re going to work on it”.

“I recognize that nothing is ideal”, Carson said.

“We have come a long way and accomplished great things together, and together we look forward to winning in Iowa and beyond”, Carson noted in the above-noted article by the Washington Post.

Doug Watts, a spokesman for Carson, told CNN the campaign does not “anticipate releasing anyone from the staff, but we may reprioritize their time and/or their assignments”.

Disagreements within the campaign’s highest ranks have broken out into the open on numerous occasions, pointing to a persistent and sharp division between Armstrong Williams – Carson’s longtime business manager who is not formally part of the campaign – and Bennett, a Republican operative.

“We had our standard 3:30 p.m. call and I asked him about the story”.

Although Ben Carson surged in the polls just months ago, a number of controversies and gaffes appear to have gradually stripped away his appeal with a large portion of Republican voters.

But speaking to CNN’s Don Lemon on “CNN Tonight” Wednesday evening, Carson said the stories had been overhyped, repeatedly calling out the Post for its “sensationalism” and insisting that no changes had been finalized.

“I certainly don’t expect to get through a campaign without some scratches and bruises”, Carson said.

Terrorist attacks in Paris and California shifted the focus of the race to foreign policy and national security, sometimes highlighting Carson’s lack of experience. “There are so many people I run into that say they’ve never voted before, or never registered to vote or participate in a primary, and that they’re doing all of those things now”.

The AP reported that Carson raised $31 million in total by the end of September, more than any other Republican candidate, but he’s spending it faster than any other campaign too.