Ben Carson Is Taking a Break From Talking About Hitler to Sell His Book

Test Ticker

MOTHER JONES NEEDS YOUR HELP

Our fiscal year ends today, and we still need upwards of $60,000 in online donations to finish our budget at break-even, or as close as we possibly can. We’ve already cut $1 million in costs. We can't afford to come up short. And there’s more about why this is so urgent here, or in this primer about our nonprofit journalism and finances. Straight up: We can get there, but it's going to take more people who care enough about our journalism to be reading this blurb to pitch in and support it than normal. Please help if you can.

Mother Jones needs your help. Our fiscal year ends today, and we still need $60,000 in online donations to get to break-even, or a lot closer. We’ve already cut $1 million in costs. We can't afford to come up short. Learn more about why this is so urgent in “News Never Pays,” or about our finances and nonprofit operation here, and please support the journalism you get from us if you can right now. We need more help than normal.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcn/19481904765/in/photolist-vFxRxK-q4cTcY-uJxwrC-vp6ZQt-yYZzJ8-xBTnf5-vp73Yn-vDfwWJ-uJH9Ac-vDfphL-vDfsvQ-vDfqLC-vDfsmm-vFxRce-uJxxoY-uJH9tD-uJxNXJ-uJxNj9-vFxYCM-vEZAcW-vFWjFp-voYTUW-vp7b5r-voYQ2y-uJHkSk-voYJH9-voYCw9-uJxzgA-uJxzR3-zifWn3-qtuZpJ-qb2X8D-qCCmya-oaPSZz-o71jPh-paCfbP-ob6Tfb-oaSYmt-o8Vgbm-pGkHLa-o5WLxt-o5WGoN-oiMCQw-otFWjs-pTETYi-orFCmu-otHw66-orFBjQ-xBUaGm-owK4Tv">Marc Nozell</a>/Flickr

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Ben Carson, currently trailing only Donald Trump in the Republican presidential polls with just three months to go until the first votes are cast, is taking some time off—to sell his new book.

Per ABC News:

Republican presidential contender Dr. Ben Carson has put his public campaign events on hold for two more weeks to go on book tour for his new tome “A More Perfect Union” and catch up on fundraising events.

The campaign has been careful to separate campaign events and the book tour, and doesn’t want to classify the tour as related to the campaign in any way.

This week he is catching up on fundraising events and will be back on his book tour next week making stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. So for the next two weeks, Carson won’t be appearing at any public “campaign events.”

Put another way: He hasn’t held a campaign event since October 2, and he won’t hold another until October 28.

National Review‘s Jim Geraghty asks the obvious question: “Why on earth would any serious candidate for president decide to stop campaigning at a moment like this for some book-signings and readings?” A better question might be, why start running a real campaign now? Carson has more or less been on a book tour for the last three years, releasing a handful of books in quick succession that have built up his name recognition among conservative voters and given him ample free media at places like Fox News. He’s even continued to deliver paid speeches during the campaign.

It’s unconventional, sure, but it has made him a lot of money and propelled him to near the top of the GOP field. You can’t argue with the results.