Koch Network Is Latest High-Profile Conservative Group To Oppose Trump’s 2024 Campaign

Topline

The conservative political advocacy network backed by billionaire Charles Koch said Sunday the country “must move past the current political situation” and “turn the page on the past several years,” a statement largely interpreted to mean the influential group will oppose former President Donald Trump in his bid for the White House in 2024.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on November 15, … [+] 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Getty Images

Key Facts

In a three-page memo—which did not mention Trump by name—Emily Seidel, the CEO of Americans For Prosperity and Americans For Prosperity Action, wrote the “Republican Party is nominating bad candidates who are advocating for things that go against core American principles,” and noted “the American people are rejecting them.”

Seidel said “we need to turn the page on the past,” and the “best thing” for the U.S. “would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter.”

The group will endorse one candidate by the summer, a source told the Washington Post.

The network was one of the major donors against former President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, but largely stayed on the sidelines of the 2016 and 2020 presidential races.

The AFP and AFP Action were heavily involved in the 2022 midterms, saying in its memo the group engaged in 457 races last year; it spent $69 million backing or opposing candidates during the 2022 election cycle, according to federal records.

Crucial Quote

“The American people have shown that they’re ready to move on, and so AFP will help them do that,” Seidel wrote. “AFP Action is prepared to support a candidate in the Republican presidential primary who can lead our country forward, and who can win.”

Forbes Valuation

$59.2 billion. That’s how much Forbes estimates Koch to be worth, making him the 20th richest person in the world. His brother David Koch—with whom Charles Koch ran the massive conglomerate Koch Industries—died in 2019, and David’s widow Julia Koch and her family are also worth an estimated $59.2 billion, largely due to their stake in Koch Industries.

Key Background

Americans For Prosperity is the latest conservative group to signal it is distancing itself from Trump in his third bid for the White House. David McIntosh, the president of Club For Growth, a major fiscally conservative organization, told Axios his group and Trump are “just focused on different things.” Blackstone CEO and Republican megadonor Steve Schwarzman has said both political parties need to “move on” to “the next generation of leaders.” Trump announced his candidacy in November, and while some high-profile Republicans have already endorsed Trump, many others have remained quiet, and leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have outright criticized Trump for backing questionable midterm candidates and for meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

What To Watch For

More GOP presidential candidates. It was reported on Wednesday that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) will announce her presidential campaign in the coming weeks. Haley previously served in Trump’s administration, and had said in 2021 she would not challenge Trump if he were to run again in 2024. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not announced that he is running, though he is being positioned as a frontrunner for the Republican party. A group of state lawmakers from Michigan sent DeSantis a letter in December urging him to run, and several polls have shown DeSantis’ chances rising, and even beating Trump.