Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley secured a high-profile endorsement from the Americans for Prosperity Action super PAC on Tuesday, giving her presidential campaign a virtually unlimited funding boost ahead of the Iowa Caucuses.
The libertarian conservative group, which functions as the political arm of the multi-billion-dollar Koch Network, will now deploy its powerful influence behind Haley in order to “turn the page” on the era of Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The Koch Network — previously known as “the Koch Brothers” — was founded by conservative philanthropists Charles and David Koch to promote grassroots right-wing activism. The Koch brothers, long criticized by Democrats for their outsized political influence in Washington, also opposed Donald Trump’s election in 2016, and that rivalry has continued even after David Koch’s death in 2019.
According to a New York Times report, Americans for Prosperity Action has been one of the country’s “largest spenders on anti-Trump material this year, buying online ads and sending mailers to voters in several states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.”
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Looking to seize on the reported “75% of Republican primary voters open to supporting a candidate other than Donald Trump,” the super PAC has set its sights on Nikki Haley, who is currently in a battle for second place in the Republican primary field.
“AFP Action is proud to throw our full support behind Nikki Haley, who offers America the opportunity to turn the page on the current political era, to win the Republican primary and defeat Joe Biden next November,” AFP President and CEO Emily Seidel announced in a memo from the organization.
“She has what it takes to lead a policy agenda to take on our nation’s biggest challenges and help ensure our country’s best days are ahead. With the grassroots and data capability we bring to bear in this race, no other organization is better equipped to help her do it.”
The memo continued by praising the former United Nations ambassador’s poll performance, as well as her leadership qualities and policy platform. According to the AFP’s internal polling, “Nikki Haley is in the best position to defeat Donald Trump in the primaries,” followed by Joe Biden in the general election.
AFPA-Endorsement-Memo-Download
The APF’s vast financial resources will give Haley’s campaign access to direct-mail operations, advertising, and workers to provide door-to-door engagement. With the critical Iowa Caucuses less than 50 days away and former President Donald Trump still leading by a significant margin, Haley and her fellow candidates have been fighting to secure any possible advantage in the swing state.
(Related: JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon Privately Advises Nikki Haley)
“I’m honored to have the support of [Americans for Prosperity Action], including its millions of grassroots members all across the country,” Haley wrote on X after receiving the endorsement. “This election is a choice between freedom & socialism, individual liberty & big government, fiscal responsibility & spiraling debt. We have a country to save.”
I’m honored to have the support of @AFPAction, including its millions of grassroots members all across the country.
This election is a choice between freedom & socialism, individual liberty & big government, fiscal responsibility & spiraling debt. We have a country to save. https://t.co/AW7WzR4sPq
Following Haley’s announcement, the campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Haley’s primary rival, mocked the endorsement as an “in-kind contribution” to Donald Trump.
“Like clockwork, the pro-open borders, pro-jail break bill establishment is lining up behind a moderate who has no mathematical pathway of defeating the former president,” said DeSantis Communications Director Andrew Romeo. “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.”
Wondering why Wall Street execs, Blackrock, and the Koch Network are all supporting Nikki Haley?
Watch this.pic.twitter.com/aAjNWRvhbb
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