Koch Network Backs Nikki Haley in Bid to Push GOP Past Trump
WASHINGTON -- Nikki Haley is boasting a big financial boost this week in her Republican presidential primary bid against former President Donald Trump and other candidates.
Americans For Prosperity, part of the powerful Koch network, formally endorsed Haley's campaign in a major surprise to rival candidate Florida Gov. Ron Desantis.
Support from a political advocacy group, founded by the billionaire Koch brothers, carries a lot of weight.
Plus, another group is moving to launch a super PAC aimed at swinging independent voters to support the former South Carolina governor.
"In every poll, we beat Biden by 10 to 13 points," Haley said at a recent campaign event.
It's a lead she hopes will grow. The Koch network said it has already raised $70 million, insisting in a statement, "Nikki Haley, at the top of the ticket, would boost candidates up and down the ballot, winning the key independent and moderate voters that Trump has no chance to win."
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It will focus on growing her ground game in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, where about 40% of registered voters are undeclared.
"What that means is bodies, door knockers, people touting her, getting them to her events and ultimately promoting her in getting them to caucus for her on Jan. 15," AP Political Correspondent Tom Beaumont said.
As of this month, Trump leads President Joe Biden by 2.6 percentage points nationally in the RealClearPolitics average. This is Trump's largest lead ever tracked by the group.
The former president was ahead by 40 points in some polls. even after skipping the GOP debates, and is facing multiple criminal cases.
As Biden tries to tout job creation and other benefits from his Inflation Reduction Act, a Gallup poll shows his job approval rating remains at 37%, tying a personal low.
The president also faces several challenges in other areas, according to the public.
Gallup shows only a 32% percent approval across the board when it comes to his handling of the economy, foreign affairs, and the current war between Israel and Hamas.
