The good news for Republican longshot presidential candidate Ben Carson is that his campaign was able to raise a goodly $8.5 million in the last quarter. The bad news is that they've already managed to spend well over half of it. Of the $5.4 million spent that did not go directly back in to further fundraising efforts, much went to overly elaborate campaign events and a campaign penchant for
traveling in style.
The Carson team has also spent big money on luxury travel and accommodations, an area where campaigns often emphasize frugality. (Hillary Clinton staffers are commuting from DC to New York City exclusively by bus.*) His campaign spent $60,035 on private plane rentals from Addison, Texas-based Starbase Jets. And it spared little expense on lodging. Carson and/or his staff checked in at the Luxe Sunset Hotel in Bel Air at a cost of $827; the Algonquin in New York City ($814); the Rosewood Crescent in Dallas ($704); and the five-star Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina ($405).
That's not necessarily typical campaign behavior (although there's at least one other candidate this year widely known for
expensive tastes in travel), but when you're running a longshot campaign I suppose there might be a temptation to go bold for whatever small length of time you can manage it.