Topline
Americans for Prosperity Action, the super PAC backed by billionaire Charles Koch, endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president Tuesday, adding to the growing list of influential anti-Trump Republicans rallying around her.
Former U.S. Ambassador and S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley addresses a crowd for her 2024 presidential run at … [+]
Key Facts
The group announced the endorsement Tuesday in a tweet that said Haley “represents a new generation of conservative leaders who will solve the tough problems and lead our country forward.”
In a memo to supporters, AFP Action said it believes Haley has the best chance at defeating former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary and President Joe Biden in the general election, citing internal polls it said “consistently show [Trump]
would lose to Joe Biden.”
With Haley at the top of the ticket, Republicans would win more down-ballot races, “in sharp contrast to recent elections that were dominated by the negative baggage of Donald Trump,” the memo states, referring to notable GOP election losses after 2016.
The group, which has never engaged in a presidential election before but has run ads against Biden and Trump in recent months, raised $70 million in the first half of the year, including $25 million from Koch, chairman and CEO of his family’s Koch Industries, and $25 million from one of Koch’s nonprofit groups, ABC News reported.
Big Number
4. That’s the number of points Haley would beat Biden by in a hypothetical matchup, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average. Trump would beat Biden by 2.6 points in the general election, but he leads the GOP primary field by nearly 50 points.
Key Background
A growing number of GOP mega donors have expressed interest in Haley in recent weeks after a string of solid debate performances and rising poll numbers that come amid a dwindling GOP primary field, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ downward spiral and a significant anti-DeSantis ad blitz by her campaign in key primary states. Billionaires Harlan Crow and Bruce Kovner gave to her campaign during the third quarter, Bloomberg reported, while hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who previously said he would back DeSantis, has also spoken positively about Haley. Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone plans to meet with her in the coming weeks, he told CNBC on Monday, calling her “the only person who can give Trump a run for his money.” Haley has gained four points in GOP primary polls from two months ago, to 10%, while DeSantis has lost a point, standing at 12% behind Trump with 60%, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Tangent
In a “note of appreciation” to DeSantis, the memo thanks him for being a “tremendous leader for the state of Florida” and acknowledges that some of AFP’s backers will be “disappointed” the group did not endorse him.
Chief Critic
DeSantis’ campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo blasted the endorsement on X, sarcastically congratulating Trump. “Every dollar spent on Nikki Haley’s candidacy should be reported as an in-kind to the Trump campaign. No one has a stronger record of beating the establishment than Ron DeSantis, and this time will be no different,” Romeo wrote.
What To Watch For
AFP Action plans to launch “extensive” mail, digital and TV ad campaigns in the coming days, the memo said. The group will also deploy thousands of leaders and grassroots activists to the field, and conduct door-knocking and phone outreach.
Crucial Quote
Haley said she is “honored” to have the group’s support in a statement, adding “AFP Action’s members know that there is too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines. This is a choice between freedom and socialism, individual liberty and big government, fiscal responsibility and spiraling debt. We have a country to save, and I’m grateful to have AFP Action by our side.”
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Koch and his family, who run America’s second largest company, Koch Industries, are worth $52.4 billion.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/11/28/charles-koch-backed-super-pac-endorses-nikki-haley-for-president/