Koch Network is backing Nikki Haley in her bid to push the GOP past Trump
The political network founded by the Koch brothers is backing Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primaries, lending her organizational strength and financial weight in the battle against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place in Iowa.
The group announced its plans in a memo on Tuesday.
The efforts of the Americans for Prosperity Action network strengthens Ms. Haley as the campaign enters its final seven weeks before the first nominating contest. Since the first Republican primary debate, Ms. Haley has steadily risen in the polls, while Mr. DeSantis has fallen. Former President Donald J. Trump remains the dominant frontrunner in the race.
“In stark contrast to recent elections dominated by Donald Trump’s negative baggage and in which good candidates lost races that should have been won, Nikki Haley at the top of the ticket would propel the candidates up and down the ballot.” reads the memo from Emily Seidel, a senior adviser to Americans for Prosperity Action, who added that Ms. Haley would “win key independent and moderate voters that Trump has no chance of winning.”
The memo goes on to say that the country is “torn by extremes on both sides,” adding, “The moment we face requires a proven leader with the governing judgment and policy experience to pull our nation back from the brink. Nikki Haley is that leader.”
The group published a separate poll describing the shift in the race toward Ms. Haley memo.
Ms. Haley, who has described Mr. Trump’s era as over, has won support from donors and elite opinion makers, many of whom describe her as the best alternative to Mr. Trump.
But Ms. Haley’s campaign does not have the organizational muscle that Mr. DeSantis does, thanks to the work that the super PAC affiliated with his campaign has done for most of the year.
Support from the super PAC founded by David and Charles Koch could change that. It gives her access to a direct-mail operation, field workers who can knock on doors and people who can make phone calls to potential voters in Iowa and beyond. The group also has money to spend on television advertising.
The network’s support also helps fuel Ms. Haley’s momentum in the final weeks before voting begins.
Americans for Prosperity Action was among the largest spenders of anti-Trump material this year, buying online ads and sending mailers to voters in several states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. All told, the group has spent more than $9 million on independent expenditures against Mr. Trump.
An Iowa mailer paid for by the group shows images of Mr. Trump and President Biden and reads: “You can stop Biden… by letting go of Trump.”
But so far, none of that spending has benefited Trump’s rivals, who have been busy battling each other.
The Koch Network is well funded and has raised more than $70 million for political races since this summer.
The group has committed to opposing Trump’s return as leader of the Republican Party. In a memo in February, Ms. Seidel, who is also president of Americans for Prosperity, the political network’s parent group, wrote: “We must turn the page on the past. So the best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter.”
Mr. DeSantis’ campaign, which has made waves in recent days, including the resignation of the CEO of his super PAC, tried to fire the endorsement before it was even announced.
“Every dollar spent on Nikki Haley’s candidacy should be reported as an in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign,” Andrew Romeo, a campaign spokesman for DeSantis, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, 30 minutes before American officials for Prosperity Action announced the approval. during a press conference.
“No one has a stronger track record of defeating the establishment than Ron DeSantis, and this time will be no different,” he wrote.