Former President Trump’s campaign team blasted the announcement of a Koch-backed group that endorsed former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president on Tuesday.
Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP), a Charles Koch-funded organization, supported former Republican governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley for president, according to a memo published Tuesday.
The billionaire sons of Fred Koch, who established Koch Industries, the second-largest private company in the US with a multibillion-dollar holding company, are Charles Koch and his late brother David Koch.
On Tuesday, the Koch network’s AFP Action said it would support Haley’s campaign, describing her as “a candidate who can turn the page and win.”
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The network is well-known for heavily funding Republican candidates.
“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,” the memorandum reads. “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.”
The Trump campaign fired off an immediate response, saying in part that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign “finally got it right.”
“The Ron DeSantis campaign finally got it right when they bitterly attacked Americans for Prosperity for being a vessel of globalist shills. That’s exactly why AFP backed Ron Desantis in his 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial races. Everything old is new again,” said Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Make America Great Again Inc.
“The Republican primary is split between career politicians who are tools of the billionaire class and the one man who delivers for the American people. Americans for Prosperity has already lit millions of dollars on fire this primary only to watch President Donald Trump’s lead grow. No amount of money can break the bond President Trump has with voters. He kept his promises,” concluded Leavitt.
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In support of Nikki Haley, the memorandum cited anecdotal evidence and polling results provided by AFP activists in early states.
“Between her surging to second place in the polls since August and being well-positioned amongst supporters of the other candidates, she is in a strong position to gather more support,” the memorandum reads, adding that “our internal polling consistently shows that Nikki Haley is by far the strongest candidate Republicans could put up against Joe Biden in a general election.”
Haley continues to trail former President Donald Trump, the preeminent candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, by an average of 47.9% support nationally, as reported by RealClearPolitics, despite the increased attention she has received.
In New Hampshire, Trump holds a 27% advantage over Haley.
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