Americans for Prosperity‚ the primary political advocacy group of the Koch brothers‚ has endorsed former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley for president. “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. 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‚” Americans for Prosperity Action president and CEO Emily Seidel wrote in a memo. “When we set out to change the broken politics of Washington‚ we made clear that we would back a candidate who could turn the page on today’s toxic culture and lead our country forward. But you can’t advance good policy unless you win. Our internal polling confirms what our activists are hearing and seeing from voters in the early primary states: Nikki Haley is in the best position to defeat Donald Trump in the primaries. 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 memo read. “In addition‚ 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 – winning every key battleground state and up nationally by nearly 10 points. While our polling shows Donald Trump loses to Joe Biden‚ Nikki Haley outperforms Trump by 8 to 14 points in the key Presidential battleground states‚” it continued. Big news on the donor front: "The political network founded by the Koch brothers is endorsing Nikki Haley in the GOP prez primary‚ giving her organizational muscle and financial heft as she battles Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for second place in Iowa."https://t.co/ZK63cTMzm4 — Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) November 28‚ 2023 The Associated Press reports: Despite seizing polling momentum in recent months‚ the former United Nations ambassador’s campaign has been lacking significant manpower on the ground in primary states to ensure her supporters turn out to vote. But now‚ she inherits the organizational heft of what may be the most powerful conservative grassroots organization in the nation. The Koch network‚ previously referred to as the Koch Brothers‚ has been building a network of paid conservative activists and volunteers in key states for several years. Through this summer and fall alone‚ Americans for Prosperity activists have already communicated with six million primary voters‚ either in person at their doors or on the phone‚ Seidel said. The development marks a particularly painful blow to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‚ who had championed conservative priorities in Florida‚ but struggled to emerge as the clear Trump alternative in the 2024 GOP primary contest. It’s unclear‚ however‚ whether the endorsement can help weaken Trump’s grip on the Republican presidential nomination given his commanding lead over DeSantis and Haley in virtually every poll. Back in the spring‚ the Koch network began running ads across Iowa‚ New Hampshire and South Carolina — the first three states on the GOP’s presidential primary calendar — focusing on questions about Trump’s electability in next fall’s general election against Biden. And still‚ Trump remains the overwhelming frontrunner in the race. “Nikki Haley will have the full weight and scope of AFP Action’s unmatched grassroots army and resources to help her earn the support of Americans to become the next President of the United States of America‚” the memo read. NEW: The political network founded by the Koch brothers is endorsing Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary race. pic.twitter.com/omsCsBqzP2 — Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) November 28‚ 2023 “I’m honored to have the support of Americans for Prosperity Action‚ including its millions of grassroots members all across the country‚” Haley said in a statement “AFP Action’s members know that there is too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines. This is a choice between freedom and socialism‚ individual liberty and big government‚ fiscal responsibility and spiraling debt. We have a country to save‚ and I’m grateful to have AFP Action by our side‚” Haley continued. CNBC added: The Koch alliance with Haley also marks the latest phase in the on-again‚ off-again relationship between Trump and the larger Koch network. During Trump’s first term in office‚ Koch-aligned groups scored several policy victories‚ including tax cuts and the confirmation of three conservative Supreme Court justices. The network traditionally backs Republican candidates. But Koch’s groups have also had their differences with the former president‚ including fierce opposition to Trump’s trade war with China. Trump‚ likewise‚ has used the Koch network as a proverbial punching bag over the years‚ claiming that its founders represent precisely the kind of “globalist” elites Trump’s MAGA movement is designed to counter. Trump famously laced into the Kochs in a 2018 tweet storm‚ saying they had become a “total joke in real Republican circles‚ are against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade.” Read the full memo below: