Right-wing Koch network supports Nikki Haley in election campaign
The hot phase of the presidential election campaign in the USA is about to begin. All candidates have to raise a lot of money for their campaigns. In the internal party battle against Donald Trump, an influential network has now announced its support for Republican Nikki Haley.
Republican US presidential candidate Nikki Haley has gained an important supporter in her party's primary race and is therefore still on the upswing. The influential and well-funded network of conservative billionaire Charles Koch backed the former US ambassador to the United Nations. The 51-year-old is "the best choice for our country", declared the political arm of the network, the organization Americans for Prosperity.
The former governor of the state of South Carolina could usher in a new political era, win the Republican primaries starting in a month and a half and defeat Democratic President Joe Biden in the presidential election in November 2024, wrote Emily Seidel, a representative of the organization, in a memo. That is why the Americans for Prosperity organization is "proud" to fully support the 51-year-old.
In a statement, Haley said she was "honoured" by the organization's support. There is "too much at stake in the elections to stand idly by from the sidelines". The conservative politician has made significant gains in polls for the Republican primary race in recent weeks. She is now battling with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place behind former President Donald Trump.
Koch network important in the fight against Trump
However, the gap to Trump is huge: the right-wing populist former president averages around 60 percent in polls, Haley is at around ten percent and DeSantis at around 13 percent. Before the Republican primaries kick off on January 15 in the state of Iowa, however, Haley is receiving a major boost from the support of the Koch network. Charles Koch, who is active in the oil business among other things, has great political influence and his network can mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars in donations and numerous campaign workers across the country during the election campaign.
Although Trump is still extremely popular with the right-wing base, the Republican party establishment and conservative donors have major reservations about the 77-year-old. There are fears that the most controversial US president in recent decades could lose the 2024 presidential election to Biden - as he did in the 2020 presidential election - given his unpopularity among large sections of the population. The question, however, is who could take on Trump in the Republican primaries. While DeSantis was long regarded as the most dangerous Trump rival, Haley is now claiming this role for himself. Billionaire Koch is now backing the 51-year-old.
DeSantis' campaign team reacted sarcastically to the Koch network's support for Haley: "Every dollar" for Haley's campaign is actually a dollar for Trump because the former ambassador and governor has no chance against the ex-president. Only DeSantis could take on the "establishment".
The Americans for Prosperity organization, a part of the influential Koch network, has declared Nikki Haley as their preferred candidate for the 2024 US presidential election, potentially boosting her chances against Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden. The Republican party primaries, starting in a month and a half, could see a significant shift with the Koch network's support for Haley, especially considering her recent momentum in polls.
Source: www.ntv.de
