Carson Super PACs combine forces to supercharge 2016 White House bid
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oct. 9, 2015: Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaks at a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington. (AP)
Two Super PACs backing retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for the 2016 Republican nomination announced Thursday that they are combining forces -- a step closer to possibly becoming a Super Super PAC with the joint goal of powering Carson to the top of the GOP field.
The two PACs – Our Children’s Future PAC and The 2016 Committee – announced that they are going to remain separate forces, but are teaming up in what they described as an unprecedented move in order to keep their message consistent, use resources more efficiently and better push their common agenda – getting Carson into the White House.
“There’s a lot of talent in Our Children’s Future and in my organization and being able to communicate and share ideas and strategy and all that just makes all the sense in the world,” John Sousa, chairman of The 2016 Committee told FoxNews.com. “Working together we can combine services, such as public relations and attorney fees, giving meaningful savings to both organizations,’ he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Carson supporters have good reason to be optimistic. Polls show Carson consistently in second place in national GOP polls, with some polls show him beating frontrunner Donald Trump.A new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed the retired neurosurgeon leading Trump 28-20 percent among likely Iowa caucus-goers.
“Dr. Carson’s story is one of David vs. Goliath,” Jeff Reeter, chairman of Our Children’s Future PAC, said in a statement. “With the increased visibility and energy provided by Our Children’s Future, The 2016 Committee’s already powerful militia will grow into an extremely strong army for Dr. Carson’s advancement,” Reeter said.
The two PACs have had the same goal, but traditionally used different methods to achieve it. Our Children’s Future has been more focused on getting big donors to put in large contributions, while The 2016 Committee said that they are more of a grassroots movement that typically brings in donations that average less than $100 per donation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sousa told FoxNews.com that one of the reasons for not merging entirely was the logistical headache and the costs that would be required to comply with Federal Electoral Commission rules. However, he didn’t rule out them becoming one entity at some point in the future.
"We’ll take one day at a time and let’s see what happens, at the end of the day we’re going to do what’s best to get Dr. Carson elected,” Sousa said.