Politics

Koch-Funded Group Will No Longer Spend To Back Nikki Haley’s Campaign

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley speaking with the media after a campaign event with U.S. Senator Martha McSally at a home in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Flickr/Gage Skidmore)

The Koch family-backed group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Action will no longer spend money to support the campaign of former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, according to a memorandum published on the group’s website.

AFP Action is funded by the billionaire Charles Koch, the 25th richest man in the world with a net worth of $55 billion, according to Forbes. While AFP Action endorsed Haley’s campaign on Nov. 28, the group wrote that it will no longer spend any money to support her candidacy following her loss in South Carolina’s Republican primary on Saturday.

“AFP Action stands firm behind our endorsement for Nikki Haley,” the group wrote in its memorandum, adding that “given the challenges in the primary states ahead, we don’t believe any outside group can make a material difference to widen her path to victory.”

“And so while we will continue to endorse her, we will focus our resources where we can make the difference. And that’s the U.S. Senate and House,” the memorandum reads.

AFP Action, Three Ways to Win (Feb. 25, 2024) by Daily Caller News Foundation on Scribd

“If Donald Trump is at the top of the Republican ticket, the risk of one-party rule by a Democratic Party captured by the Progressive Left is severe and would do irreparable damage to the country. The last 3 election cycles have painted a very clear picture of what we can expect from voters who consistently rejected Donald Trump and his impact on the Republican party brand,” AFP Action wrote. “This has been reinforced by the recent elections in Virginia in 2023 and the special elections in New York and Pennsylvania just this month. And we should expect this to increase further as the criminal trials progress.”

AFP Action indicated it would be willing to “engage” in over 100 House of Representatives elections, according to the memorandum. The group also indicated that it would be making endorsements in races in Ohio and Michigan.

“AFP is a great organization and ally in the fight for freedom and conservative government. We thank them for their tremendous help in this race,” wrote Olivia Perez-Cubas, a spokesperson for Haley’s campaign, in an email to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Our fight continues, and with more than $1 million coming in from grassroots conservatives in just the last 24 hours, we have plenty of fuel to keep going. We have a country to save.”

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.