Before Ben Carson was vying for votes from members of Christian organizations, he was charging them tens of thousands of dollars — in some cases even more than he charged groups with no religious ties — for speeches.

Carson, now a GOP presidential candidate, brought in nearly $2 million delivering inspirational speeches to faith-based groups like Christian high schools and pregnancy centers in 2014. Of his five most expensive speeches, four of them were for Christian entities, a POLITICO analysis of his financial disclosure form shows.


Billed by the Washington Speaker’s Bureau as an “inspiring storyteller” who is “soft-spoken yet charismatic” and capable of “commanding the stage,” Carson’s speaking fees varied widely, from $12,320 to $48,500.

Last August, Hope Pregnancy Center in College Station, Texas, was one of the organizations that doled out $40,500 — close to Carson’s highest speaking fee — for the neurosurgeon-turned-author to speak at a fundraiser and attend a private, 45-minute reception with donors beforehand. The faith-based, pro-life organization works with women with unplanned pregnancies.

“We called the speaker’s bureau and we were told that number,” explained Tracy Frank, executive director of the center. “Washington Speakers Bureau dictated the terms … We’re not that sophisticated and stuff. I’m going to cry if you’re telling me he did others for a lot less.”

Carson gave 115 speeches for lower amounts in 2014 alone.

Frank said she didn’t negotiate with the Washington Speakers Bureau because of Carson’s popularity. The fundraiser brought in a net profit of $150,000. Frank — along with other organizers of several other events — said Carson was paid more than past speakers, but they were able to make a significant net profit because they drew a bigger audience or were able to charge more for tickets.

“It was probably higher than we’ve paid before,” she continued, “but then again, we wanted Phil Robertson from ‘Duck Dynasty,’ and he was far more expensive.”

Ron Wade, executive director of HopeWorks Inc. – a Tennessee-based Christian group that seeks to help the poor and homeless and paid Carson $24,500 for a fundraiser last year — said he didn’t know if he was being charged more or less than other organizations. But he said he was willing to pay the speaking fees without much negotiation because it’s hard to find appropriate speakers who can draw a crowd.

“It is so difficult to be popular and also meet the mission,” Wade said. “We just go with what we can get. He did a really good job for us in bringing in people who may not have known about HopeWorks. It would be great if he and other speakers would say, ‘HopeWorks is great, and we’ll do it for free.’ But most people don’t say that.”

Overall, Carson reported earning $4 million in speaking fees in 2014. In addition to the fees, he earned between $1 million and $6 million in book royalties in the same year, his disclosures show.

The Washington’s Speaker’s Bureau did not respond to requests for comment on how the fees were determined. The bureau has taken down Carson’s bio — which said, “Ben Carson’s remarkable journey from tough, inner-city youth to history-making neurosurgeon celebrates and illustrates the power we all have to excel and influence others” — now that Carson is on the campaign trail.

Carson’s campaign also declined to comment, saying that it had included everything that was legally required in the financial disclosures.

Carson has written six best-selling books, including “America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great”; “One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future”; and “One Vote: Make Your Voice Heard.” In speeches, he often draws from his books along with the TNT movie “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” which chronicles his life and stars Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.

Carson’s popularity among Christian crowds is part of how a doctor with no political experience has been able to gain more traction in Iowa than many better-credentialed contenders, such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who are vying for the same evangelical supporters.

Although there was already a movement underway to draft Carson to run for president, nonprofit leaders who hired him for speeches last year said he wasn’t overtly political and focused more on his life story and the “moral climate” of the country.

“It was a call for our people to pray more and seek God’s guidance for leadership for our country,” said Gary Moore, senior associate pastor for the Second Baptist Church, of Carson’s speech at the Houston church’s “If My People” conference.

But occasionally, based on some video clips and media reports of the speeches, Carson commented on how conservatives have been silenced for their views on social issues. “I think political correctness is one of the worst things that we ever brought to America,” he said in a speech for the Family Foundation of Virginia. “And here we are allowing it to be reintroduced through the back door as a good thing. It’s not a good thing. It’s an evil thing.”

“If you believe in traditional marriage, then you’re a homophobe,” he said in the same speech, for which he was paid $32,000. “If you believe in life, then you’re anti-woman. If you’re white and you oppose a progressive black person, you’re a racist. If you’re black and you oppose a progressive agenda, you’re crazy.”

During another speech at the University of Cumberlands last April, Carson more directly discussed his potential White House bid, according to a video: “I do realize that our country is in a lot of trouble. One of the biggest challenges that our country faces is our national debt, which is $17.5 trillion. Most people cannot comprehend this amount. Hopefully someone will come along who really catches fire and really understands the Constitution and understands freedom … If that doesn’t happen, I would have to give serious consideration to it.”

But more than expressing his views on social and political issues, the paid speeches were a chance for Carson to share his life story with large audiences ahead of his announcement, and pick up supporters who could easily connect to it, like HopeWorks’ Wade, who brought Carson to Cordova, Tennessee, for an event titled, “A Morning of Hope with Ben Carson.” The event cost $60 per ticket.

“He’s so authentic,” Wade said. “He impressed me. If he is still in the Republican primary when Tennessee votes, I would vote for him.”

Aaron Mak contributed to this report.