Ben Carson builds out his political operation
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Ben Carson. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Ben Carson's former presidential campaign committee has been converted into a new political group that already has hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank.
Why it matters: Carson managed to serve four years as President Trump's secretary of Housing and Urban Development with minimal controversy. He announced a new think tank last week, and now the PAC formed from the remains of his 2016 political outfit is another indication he'll be staying engaged in GOP politics.
What's new: Carson's still-active presidential campaign committee officially changed its name Friday to Think BIG America PAC.
- As of the end of 2020, the group had more than $400,000 in the bank, leftover from the 2016 campaign.
- Think BIG changed its status from a campaign committee to a PAC that can support other candidates for office.
- Three web domains bearing the PAC's name also were registered this week, though no website using those domains is active yet.
- Requests for comment made through Carson's new nonprofit, the American Cornerstone Institute, went unanswered.
Carson announced American Cornerstone last week, and said it will operate as a nonprofit think tank.
- The group "will focus on promoting and preserving individual and religious liberty, helping our country’s most vulnerable find new hope, and developing methods to maximize government’s efficiency and effectiveness to best serve all our nation’s citizens."
Between the lines: High-profile Republicans are plotting out their futures in a post-Trump America. Carson's new PAC indicates he plans to help elect Republican officeholders going forward.
