Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley just reeled in a huge endorsement on Tuesday from the political network that was started up by the Koch brothers, which I tend to think will end up hurting her campaign a whole lot more than helping it. And given how far behind former President Donald Trump Haley is in the polls right now, that’s obviously going to be a problem.
Why would being endorsed by the Koch brothers be a bad thing? For starters, many individuals who are in the MAGA crowd and those who are just die-hard conservatives in general, feel the Koch brothers are establishment to the core. And I don’t think they’re wrong on that assumption. Haley being backed by the Americans for Prosperity Action network is like being sealed by a group who gives the thumbs-up to establishment thinking and policy, which citizens of this nation have made clear they are sick and tired of. That’s the whole reason Trump got elected president the first time around. Conservatives wanted principled candidates who would actually follow through on their beliefs and ideals.
If she wants to seriously take on Trump, she just went in the absolute wrong direction.
Check out more information about this latest endorsement via The Daily Wire:
Americans for Prosperity Action said that it was time for the country to “turn the page on the past,” warning that “Donald Trump and Joe Biden will only further perpetuate the country’s downward spiral in politics.”
The New York Times noted that Americans for Prosperity Action has been “among 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.”
The super PAC released an ad that called Haley a “bold leader” and said that she would “deliver on her promises.”
“I’m honored to have the support of @AFPAction , including its millions of grassroots members all across the country,” Haley said in a post published on X. “This election is a choice between freedom & socialism, individual liberty & big government, fiscal responsibility & spiraling debt. We have a country to save.”
There’s little doubt that the money flooding into her campaign from the super PAC will provide her ground operations with a whole lot of resources, particularly in primary states, but again, I don’t think this affiliation is a good thing for her presidential aspirations and speaks volumes about her style of leadership. With so much cash being sent her direction from the network, how do we know she won’t allow the Koch brothers to influence her political agenda, which, of course, would benefit them and their business interests in a little something we like to call “crony capitalism?”
The report from the Times says that the partnership with the Koch network will provide the former United Nations ambassador with “access to a direct-mail operation, field workers to knock on doors and people making phone calls to prospective voters in Iowa and beyond.”
Americans for Prosperity Action mostly promotes libertarian and conservative policies that support limited government and free market economics and generally aligns with more traditional establishment Republicans.
The group has taken some heat for their support of criminal justice reform policies and for their opposition to hardline policies cracking down on illegal immigration.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign put out a statement that congratulated Trump for Koch endorsing Haley.
“Congratulations to Donald Trump on securing the Koch endorsement,” Communications Director Andrew Romeo stated in the post. “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. 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.”
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