Top Aides for Presidential Candidate Ben Carson Abruptly Resign

On Thursday, a shakeup in the campaign staff for one of the top Republican candidates for President is causing a rocky start to the new year.

Two top aides for former neurosurgeon turned Republican heavyweight, Ben Carson, abruptly resigned on Thursday, wishing the campaign the “best of luck.”

The Hill reported campaign manager Barry Bennett and communications director Doug Watts both resigned from Carson’s campaign.

“We respect the candidate and we have enjoyed helping him go from far back in the field to top tier status,“ said Watts in a statement to The Hill. “Having just announced raising $23 million for the fourth quarter, more than any other Republican candidate, and passing 1 million contributions and over 600,000 unique donors since March, we are proud of our efforts for Dr. Carson and we wish him and his campaign the best of luck.”

While the statement seems to cast Carson in a solid position, the candidate has floundered in the polls in recent weeks after mediocre performances in the most recent debates and several noteworthy flaps exposing Carson’s struggle to grasp aspects of foreign policy. And with the coveted Iowa caucuses just weeks away, a shakeup now is not a good sign for the Republican hopeful.