Ben Carson Works His Way Up the Donation Ladder

First came the grass-roots support. Now Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who has quietly arrived near the front of the Republican presidential field, is scooping up $100,000 a night from wealthy donors in Texas and California — evidence that he is fast transforming from a novelty candidate into one to be taken seriously by rivals and party leaders alike.

Trailing only Donald J. Trump in some national surveys, Mr. Carson and Jeb Bush, who is running third in some polls, will flank Mr. Trump at center stage in the second Republican debate at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CNN. With more than $23 million at his disposal, according to his campaign, Mr. Carson has hired a staff of about 75, including 30 field organizers in seven states, seeking to carry him all the way to theRepublican National Convention.

At the Aug. 6 debate, Mr. Carson went long stretches without speaking, and apparently suffered from stage fright, before finishing with a rousing and funny riff on brain surgery, lamebrains in Washington and “the torch of freedom.” His minimalist but memorable performance helped uncork about $6.1 million in small donations last month, said Barry Bennett, Mr. Carson’s campaign manager. That was twice as much as he had raised in his best previous month.

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