Dear ____,

Perhaps you saw it on the news.  Ben Carson has formed a presidential exploratory committee!

This is great news.

No one considering running for president has ever formed an exploratory committee and then decided not to run.

There’s no doubt that Ben Carson is running for president.

And, the word is that he will officially announce his candidacy in May.

Make no mistake about it, Eric, you helped to make this happen.

Ben Carson heard your voice, and hundreds of thousands of others, calling him to run for president.

donate.gif

Thank you for your loyal support of this great cause.

But, I want to take just a moment to also thank our campaign team (of nearly 30) that continues to do a great job of spreading the word about Ben Carson.  They routinely work 12 to 16 hour days in order to make it possible for Ben Carson to win the GOP nomination.

As you know, this Committee has a very special role to play in the effort to nominate Ben Carson as the candidate of the Republican Party.  Yes, the official campaign committee is very important, but keep in mind that it was Mitt Romney’s super PAC, Restore Our Future, that enabled him to win the GOP nomination in 2012.

According to opensecrets.org, Romney’s Restore Our Future super PAC spent $142,097,336 in 2012, much of that in the primaries.

That’s how Romney bulldozed over all his conservative opponents.

Mitt Romney did not attack his opponents, but his super PAC, Restore Our Future, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in each primary state on television ads attacking Romney’s conservative opponents.

That’s the game plan of the Republican establishment.

And that’s why the existence of our super PAC is so important.

The official campaign committee of a presidential candidate must follow strict fundraising and spending limitations imposed by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), but a super PAC like ours (The 2016 Committee, formerly the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee) is not subject to such limitations.

It’s a matter of record that super PACs, like The 2016 Committee, have played a deciding role in the outcome of the nomination and election process.

However, unlike the Bush and Romney super PACs that are funded by million dollar contributions, this super PAC is funded by gifts of all sizes—small and large.  Certainly not by million dollar gifts that will flow into the Jeb Bush super PAC.

This time, instead of getting bulldozed under by the Republican establishment, you and I have a vehicle to fight back, The 2016 Committee.

donate.gif

And, that’s just exactly what we are doing.

I would never discourage you from supporting the official Carson campaign, but I will encourage you to continue supporting this super PAC because we have a game plan in place that can counter the establishment super PACs and push Ben Carson over the finish line.

As one seasoned politician put it recently, some of the candidates can energize the base, but only Ben Carson can expand the base.

Through our efforts we are bringing new people into the Republican Party, including African Americans, Hispanics, health care professionals, home schoolers, evangelicals, etc.

Of course, the real credit goes to our sensational candidate, Ben Carson, who has inspired millions of Americans to get involved in order to save our nation for our children and grandchildren.

Let me quickly recap some of the accomplishments of this super PAC…

  • Advanced Technology.  This super PAC spent $61,000 for advanced technology to allow multi-channel, vertical, and horizontal communication across the organization. Advanced technology is the key to winning elections in the 21st century. 
  • Electronic Billboards.  At a cost of $20,500, placed electronic billboards in Maryland (then the home of Ben Carson) and in Iowa, promoting the candidacy of Ben Carson.
  • Carson Persuasion Mailings.  Spent $140,000 on early mailings to previous Iowa Caucus goers that enabled Ben Carson to build his current lead in Iowa, according to Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann.
  • Rush Limbaugh & Sean Hannity Talk Radio Advertising.  The primary purpose of these ads was to create “buzz” for Ben Carson and give legitimacy to his campaign.  The cost was $350,000 and we know that Ben Carson heard them.
  • CPAC Booth & Effort.  In 2014 and again in 2015, this super PAC spent a total of $40,000 promoting the candidacy of Ben Carson.  In 2014, Ben Carson finished a surprising third, and again, he tied for third with Ted Cruz in 2015 (separated by only .1%).
  • Full Page Ads.  Ran full page ads in national conservative publications including National Review, the Washington Times National Weekly, American Spectator, etc. at a cost of more than $6,000.
  • Radio Ads to Blacks & Hispanics in 2014 Campaign.  Because Dr. Carson said that his decision to run would hinge on the GOP capturing control of the U.S. Senate, this super PAC spent $532,000 on radio ads directed to black and Hispanic Americans in North Carolina and Louisiana.  Those ads raised the black vote for the Republican candidate to as much as 18%, making the difference between victory and defeat for Thom Tillis in North Carolina.
  • Bumper Strips, Magnets, Posters, Booklets.  Distributed more than 2.4 million of these campaign materials to Americans all across the nation at a cost of more than $200,000.
  • Books.  Distributed more than 43,000 copies of Ben Carson’s America the Beautiful book, 11,000 copies of his Gifted Hands book, and more than 10,000 copies of One Nation at a cost of about $200,000.

Frankly, these activities are just the tip of the iceberg.  We have opened campaign offices in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and North Carolina and we’ve hired a dynamic public relations firm to promote the candidacy of Ben Carson.  Our growing campaign team has been working hard to win the nomination and ultimately the White House for Ben Carson.

Our Team has attended state conventions in nearly every state in the nation.  They have traveled several hundred thousand miles working hard to make Ben Carson the next President of the United States.

I have personally given more than 40 radio and television interviews, explaining why Ben Carson should be the Republican nominee in 2016.

As you may recall, I have said repeatedly that the Democrats and those on the left fear Ben Carson more than any other candidate because they know he will win over a huge share of the black and Hispanic vote, thus defeating Hillary Clinton (or any other Democrat candidate) in a landslide.

Recently, the radical Southern Poverty Law Center, headed up by leftist Morris Dees, put Ben Carson on its “Hate” list.  This list includes folks like the Ku Klux Klan and other racists.

It was outrageous.

However, what happened just a few days later was even more shocking.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) formally apologized to Dr. Ben Carson and removed him from their hate list.

Why such a quick and dramatic turnaround by this powerful group?

I believe it is because their supporters, many of whom are African Americans, strongly opposed this treatment of Ben Carson and threatened to withdraw their financial support of the SPLC.

If this is what happened, and I feel sure it is, then it further confirms the high regard in which Dr. Carson is held in the African American community.  In fact, a recent poll listed Ben Carson as the 6th most respected leader in America.

It’s no wonder that this simple phrase at the end of our radio ads in North Carolina—Ben Carson trusts Thom Tillis, you should too—raised black support for now Senator Tillis from 1% to 18% among those who heard our radio ads.

Clearly, nominating Ben Carson is the key to winning the White House in a landslide and setting back the Democrats for decades. 

But, will the Republican establishment ever figure that out?

On another front, I read recently that the Hillary Clinton super PAC, Priorities USA, intends to raise $500 million for Hillary.  In fact, they are endeavoring to tap 30 Democrats for individual gifts of $1 million each as a kick off for their effort. 

And, they call the Republican Party and conservatives the party of fat cats!

Eric, that means you and I must keep pushing hard.

As you may recall, we were planning to send out copies of a special edition of Ben Carson’s book Gifted Hands, re-titled My Story.  We initially placed an order for 100,000 copies of this book and then upped that order to 350,000 copies at about $1.35 each ($472,500).

But, our plans have changed.

We were just notified by the publisher that the official Carson campaign wants to distribute those books and therefore does not want us to buy them.

It turns out that actually works better for our Committee.

In the past few letters I have hinted at a surprise project that was in the works.

This turn of affairs now allows me to move up that project and to take an even more efficient approach reaching primary and caucus voters for Ben Carson.

New Ben Carson Book!

RX_for_America.jpg

Over the past three months I have been working on a special Ben Carson book, one that will tell the story we need to get out to the voters.  It not only contains a biography of Ben Carson, but also explains why he is sure to win, why he will heal America, and why he is prepared to lead.  The cover of this book is shown at right.

The good news is that the cost of printing this 209 page paperback book is just 38¢ each in quantities of 100,000.  I am taking no royalties and the publisher, Kaleidoscope Publishing, is donating its services.

This low price means that we can buy at least three times as many copies of this book than we could of the special edition of My Story (the condensed version of Gifted Hands) by Ben Carson.  In this book I say things about Ben Carson that he can’t say about himself and I reveal a game plan that can set the Democrats back decades.

I guarantee you that no other presidential campaign will have such an effective and persuasive tool to win voters over to Ben Carson.

Thanks to you, Eric, just as soon as I receive some data I need for the book, I’m going to order at least 400,000 copies of this powerful book for distribution in the early delegate selection states.

In addition to this new book, I want to preempt other candidates by buying time on every electronic billboard in Iowa for the two months leading up to the Iowa Caucus.

I don’t have the final numbers, but my rough calculation is that we will need upwards of $80,000 for the billboard advertising in Iowa alone.  That, of course, doesn’t include New Hampshire, South Carolina, North Carolina, or Nevada and Florida. 

My guess is that to cover all those states for three months, the cost will be nearly $1,000,000.

The smart thing to do is to book all the electronic billboards in Iowa right now, and that requires money up front. 

So, let’s get started on that so the other candidates don’t buy up all the billboards in Iowa.

I am hoping to raise $400,000 in the next 30 days so I can book the billboards and order the books.

This will put us one step ahead of the opposition.

Will you help me do that?

If at all possible, it is my hope that you can help this Carson for president effort a gift of $35 or even $20.16.

Regardless of the amount, please help again today.  For a gift of any amount I will send you a copy of my new book, Ben Carson.  Rx for America, as soon as it’s off the press.

Sincerely,

John Philip Sousa IV
Chairman
http://www.runbenrun.org/

P.S. These are exciting times.  The first debate is just around the corner.  Please help me keep the pedal to the metal by giving me your support again today.  Thank you, and God bless America.

P.P.S.  And, don’t forget for a gift of any amount I will send you a copy of my new book on Ben Carson just as soon as it comes off the presses.  This is our special tool for reaching potential Carson voters.