This story first appeared in the Business Insider:
Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson’s former top campaign aides think Carson’s campaign botched the handling of his post-Iowa caucus trip home to Florida, the fallout of which has pervaded throughout the week.
Before the caucuses began, Carson’s campaign hastily saidthat the candidate was heading home “to get fresh clothes,” amid speculation that he might be pulling the plug on his campaign.
Barry Bennett, Carson’s former campaign manager, and Doug Watts, his former communications director, told Business Insider that the candidate was asking for such speculation by making the announcement in the middle of the caucus fury.
Bennett, who now serves as a volunteer adviser to real-estate mogul Donald Trump, said:
Eighteen days on the road is a long time. He’s been going at this pace now for about a year, so I understand his wanting to get home and sleep in his own bed for a night. But, last I checked, there were dry cleaners in Iowa, so he could probably get fresh clothes.
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