MOBILE, Ala. — Alabama entrepreneur Dean Parker, who spearheaded the fundraising effort that helped propel Dr. Ben Carson to the top of the GOP presidential polls, has resigned from his post as the campaign’s National Finance Chairman.
As Carson’s standing in the polls deteriorated, internal campaign squabbles spilled over into the press. Rival campaign consultants publicly — and often anonymously — questioned each other’s motives, and Dr. Carson himself waffled over the best wait to calm the storm that had knocked him off message.
A source inside the campaign told Yellowhammer just before Christmas that while Mr. Parker had the campaign’s best interest in mind, other consultants where finding ways to “wet their beaks.”
“Unfortunately for the $10 and $20 and $50 donors who believe in Dr. Carson, only a fraction of their money has been put to good use,” Yellowhammer was told.
But others inside the campaign saw things differently.
National Finance Chairman is typically an honorary title and part-time job that does not come with a salary, but since Mr. Parker had put his significant business interests on hold to work for the campaign full-time, he was drawing a salary of $20,000 per month.
While Carson was flying high in the polls, not to mention raising an impressive $43 million in the latter part of 2015, Parker’s salary and his operational expenses did not receive a great deal of scrutiny. But when the campaign faltered, the knives came out.
“Parker’s detractors say he frustrated some donors with brusque behavior and infuriated a longtime Carson confidant, Terry Giles, by insinuating that Giles orchestrated a leak of internal documents,” Politico wrote in a story Mr. Parker refers to as a “misrepresentation.” The story also asserted that only “a small fraction of the millions” spent by Parker’s operation went directly toward fundraising.
Mr. Parker ultimately decided to resign on Thursday rather than allow the issues to continue to be a distraction for Dr. Carson’s campaign, which he continues to wholeheartedly support.
“It was time to say, you know what? I’m not going to let him have me be the focus of his campaign during a debate or this season getting so close to Iowa,” Parker told MSNBC. “I sat down with him this morning and I said, Dr. Carson, I love you. I know you love me. We’ve been great friends. We will continue to be great friends. I’m wondering if the best thing I could do is to get rid of this attention because nothing was done wrong, and we don’t need the media building this up.”
Dr. Carson released a statement praising Mr. Parker’s efforts on behalf of his campaign.
“I appreciate and honor Dean’s tireless efforts on behalf of saving America,” Carson said. “Our significant fundraising success has been due, in large part, to Dean’s dedication and commitment to ‘We the People.’”
Alabama’s presidential primary is set to take place March 1st.
