Koch Group to back GOP presidential candidate who will ‘write a new chapter for the country’
The conservative donor network founded by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch says it is preparing for the 2024 Republican presidential primary in a bid to “turn the page” and “write a new chapter for our country.”
In a memo released Sunday, Americans for Prosperity said it would support more candidates in light of the GOP’s disappointing performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
“The Republican Party nominates bad candidates who stand for things that go against fundamental American principles. And the American people reject them,” wrote the group’s CEO, Emily Seidel.
Seidel said Americans for Prosperity seeks to support a candidate in the 2024 GOP presidential primary “who can move our country forward and who can win.”
“So the best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter,” Seidel wrote. “The American people have shown they are ready to move on, so AFP is going to help them do that.”
The AFP memo does not directly mention former President Donald Trump, but comes months after disappointing performances by Trump-endorsed candidates in the 2022 midterm elections cost GOP seats in major races. of the swing state.
AFP’s decision to get involved in the GOP primary marks a significant shift in strategy after missing the last two battles for the White House nomination.
Trump and AFP have clashed in recent years after Charles Koch refused to spend network money to sway the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor.
After Trump took office, AFP’s top executives in 2018 expressed frustration with the leadership of the Republican Party during Trump’s presidency as they attempted to rebrand the organization by vowing to be less supporters and to work with elected officials from all political backgrounds to advance their political priorities.
In a series of tweets in 2018, Trump hit back at the Koch-backed group for saying he would distance himself from the then-president and other prominent Republicans who don’t support their agenda. “The Koch Brothers globalists, who have become a total joke in real Republican circles, are against strong borders and powerful trade. I never sought their support because I don’t need their money or bad ideas,” Trump tweeted.
Tensions between Trump and AFP have also prevailed throughout the 2022 midterm election cycle, with respective Trump and AFP candidates vying for the governorship race in Nebraska and congressional races in Michigan and from South Carolina.
The influential Club for Growth, which had previously aligned itself with Trump, and other major donors have also distanced themselves from the former president. The group clashed with Trump midterm in 2022 by supporting different Senate primary candidates from Ohio and Pennsylvania. In an interview with Axios last month, Club for Growth President David McIntosh said that “it’s time for a new standard bearer who believes in and will fight for the principles of the free market” and that the group is “just focused on different things” compared to Trump. .
chuck todd, Marc Murray , Ben Kamissar, Bridget Bowman And Alexandra Marquez contributed.
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