Ben Carson may be making his New Year’s resolutions a little early.
The Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon hinted Wednesday that a major shake-up in his campaign is ahead. Carson, who at one point had overtaken Donald Trump for the lead in Iowa and even some national polls, has seen a steep decline in his numbers lately.
“I’m looking at every aspect of the campaign right now. Everything is on the table, every job is on the table. And we’re going to analyze it very carefully,” Carson told the Washington Post. “It’s not perfect and we’re going to work on it.”
Carson made this revelation in interviews with the Post and the Associated Press, which the AP reported were conducted without campaign manager Barry Bennett. Bennett was quoted as saying, “I’m getting ready to have a conversation with him. Why don’t I have that conversation and call you back.”
The Post’s Robert Costa tweeted later that Carson spoke to Bennett, and that the campaign manager will retain his post.
When reached by the Washington Examiner, campaign spokeswoman Deana Bass said the campaign was still waiting on word from Carson on the potential staff shake-up.
“We are all awaiting Dr. Carson’s decision,” said spokeswoman Deana Bass, adding that Carson is indeed in charge of the decisions at hand.
The former neurosurgeon pointed specifically to the management of funds for the campaign as an issue, telling the Post that wants to see more “efficiency” in that area.
“I want to see more efficiency in terms of the way money is utilized,” Carson said, adding that cutting of salaries could also be in the offing. “It’s one of the things we’re looking at: making sure everyone’s salary is in line with the standard,”
The Carson campaign has been a fundraising juggernaut, raising $31 million by the end of September. However, the campaign has spent much of what they’ve raised on the fundraising apparatus rather than his political operation.
Carson slid to eighth place in the Washington Examiner‘s latest power rankings. The soft-spoken candidate has struggled ever since the Paris terror attacks and has watched Ted Cruz cut into his evangelical base.
UPDATE (6:51 p.m.): Carson released this statement about a potential staff shake-up Wednesday evening:
“I have 100 percent confidence in my campaign team. We have come a long way and accomplished great things together, and together we look forward to winning in Iowa and beyond. We are refining some operational practices and streamlining some staff assignments to more aptly match the task ahead, but my senior team remains in place with my full confidence, and they will continue to execute our campaign plan.”
