A Super PAC supporting Haley is taking on Trump and targeting independent voters
A group of entrepreneurs are forming a super PAC to try to lure independent voters to Nikki Haley, in the latest sign that many of former President Donald J. Trump’s opponents in the business world are rallying around Ms. Haley as their preferred alternative.
The super PAC, called Independents Moving the Needle, will initially focus on New Hampshire, where Republican voters are more moderate than in many other states — and, crucially, where voters not registered with a party can choose to participate to participate in the Republican or Democratic primary race.
After the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23, the group will turn to South Carolina — Ms. Haley’s home state — and to “select Super Tuesday states with open primaries,” according to a memo shared with The New York Times.
“We all believe Nikki Haley is an excellent leader,” the memo said. “She has the best by far eligibility of any Republican presidential candidate in 2024. We are confident that our efforts will not be futile, as some may fear, and that Donald Trump will not inevitably be the Republican nominee – not at all.”
The super PAC’s founders are Frank Laukien, the CEO of a life sciences research and diagnostics company; Jonathan Bush, the founder and CEO of a healthcare data company and a cousin of former President George W. Bush; Bonnie Anderson, the founder and CEO of a cancer testing company; Robert Fisher, a white-collar lawyer and former federal prosecutor; and Tamra Laukien, the founder and CEO of a health and wellness coaching company, who is married to Mr. Laukien.
They said in the memo that they saw Ms. Haley “as a progressive, next-generation leader whose vision, values, integrity, optimism and energy make her the best choice as the Republican presidential candidate.” They did not discuss specific policies, but broadly praised her positions on issues such as inflation, taxes, support for Ukraine and Israel, and border security.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Haley’s campaign declined to comment.
The new organization, first reported by ABC news and the New Hampshire outlet WMUR, is part of a larger interest among business leaders in Ms. Haley’s candidacy. The political network founded by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch endorsed her on Tuesday, and a number of executives and hedge fund investors have begun donating to her campaign in recent weeks.
Ms. Haley and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida are vying to become the leading Republican challenger to Trump, who remains far ahead in the polls of the nominating contest. While Ms. Haley has consolidated support from business leaders, Mr. DeSantis has received two major endorsements in Iowa: from Gov. Kim Reynolds and from evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats.