Influential Koch Network Plans to Back Trump Alternative in 2024 as Rivals Ready Campaigns

The influential Koch donor network announced plans to back an alternative to former President Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary.

Summary

The influential Koch donor network announced plans to back an alternative to former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary as potential rivals like Nikki Haley prepare their presidential campaigns.

• According to the Washington Post, the powerful collective of donors and right-leaning outside groups will unite behind one non-Trump candidate to have “a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter.”
• The Koch network sat out the 2016 and 2020 Republican primaries, making their intervention all the more notable. The group plans to back a single non-Trump candidate by the end of the summer of 2023 to ensure their pick is best positioned to take on the former President.
• Americans for Prosperity, the main Koch-affiliated group, and its related super PAC, AFP Action, have not disclosed how much they plan to spend in 2024. Between their desire for a presidential candidate “who can win” and plans to intervene in congressional primaries, the group evidently plans to take the fight to the pro-Trump forces many Republicans blame for a disappointing 2022 cycle.
• Trump remains the only official candidate for the GOP nomination, although Haley, the former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor, plans to enter the race in mid-February. The elephant in the room, so to speak, is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to be readying a campaign.

• The New York Times covered in detail the influential Koch network’s plan to back a candidate who can turn “the page on the past” in 2024– an unsubtle call to move on from Trump. The Koch network spent nearly $500 million in the 2020 cycle alone.
• CNN covered Trump’s threat to refuse to back the GOP nominee should the voters select a different candidate. As Trump told Hugh Hewitt, “It would depend. I would give you the same answer I gave in 2016 during the debate. … It would have to depend on who the nominee was.”
• The Washington Post assessed Nikki Haley’s presidential prospects and how she fits into a field that many expect to be dominated by Trump and DeSantis. The Post’s Aaron Blake called Haley an “enigma” and a “wild card” who would disrupt the 2024 primary field.

• Fox News interviewed “GOP insiders” who expressed doubt that Haley’s campaign could go the distance unless she is able to “prove” herself on the campaign trail. Haley may be able to secure an advantage by jumping in early while the rest of the field remains in the wings.
• New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is also considering jumping into the 2024 presidential race, according to the New York Post. The New England Republican called for “new leadership” to replace Biden and Trump. Trump “could get the nomination, but he can’t get it done” in the general election, said Sununu.
• Breitbart reported on a poll that indicates Republicans have a great opportunity in 2024 – if they nominate a candidate who is palatable to independents. A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 56 percent do not want Biden to seek a second term compared to only 32 percent who want the President to run for reelection.

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© Dominic Moore, 2023