Want to Buy Ben Carson’s Donor List? It Will Likely Be for Sale!
Yes, Dr. Ben Carson made it official today: he is “suspending” his presidential campaign. If you think this marks the end of gullible idiots being separated from their money in the name of a retired neurosurgeon who was an awful presidential candidate, think again!
As has been reported, Dr. Carson’s campaign may go down in history for marrying Citizen’s United-enabled political practices with the most expensive forms of fundraising known to man. With all of the money that has been churned for the best part of 2 full years, it should not be a surprise that profiteers are looking to generate more for years to come.
So what’s the market value for a typical Carson donor’s personal information?
About $5 to $6 per donor name, said Walter Lukens, head of direct response marketing firm the Lukens Company.
Lukens conservatively estimated Carson’s campaign committee could earn $4 million or so over three years of renting its supporters’ information.
“As long as he continues to be a viable spokesman for a particular perspective around politics, an agenda, then he can make money on that forever and ever and ever,” Lukens said of the list.
Naturally, Carson’s donors have no idea what they are in for.
“You mean they give my name to other people?” asked South Carolina donor Lucille Thompson. “I’m not interested in that. I get more junk mail than I can handle. I’m not interested in my name being given to anybody,”
Another 88-year-old Arkansas donor, who asked to have her name withheld, said Carson is the first political candidate she had ever donated to and she hadn’t realized her information could be marketed to others.
Carson’s campaign raised $57.9 million though January 31 of this year, but spent $53.7 million…the VAST majority on fundraising. At the end of the day, the one and only thing Carson’s donors will get for their money is even more solicitations.