Nikki Haley's coronation as the chosen Republican presidential nominee for the billionaire-funded political network the Koch brothers founded prompted some off-the-charts sarcasm from the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign — congratulating Donald Trump for the endorsement.
Haley's endorsement from the Americans for Prosperity (AFP) super PAC, which is largely funded by Charles Koch, is surely a blow to DeSantis' campaign for the White House, which has long portrayed the Florida Governor as Republicans' best hope for beating President Joe Biden. AFP's Tuesday endorsement alluded to the troubles Trump is facing in the form of 91 criminal indictments.
"When we announced our decision to engage in our first ever Republican presidential primary, we made it clear that we'd be looking for a candidate who can turn the page on our political dysfunction — and win. It's clear that candidate is Nikki Haley," AFP Action senior advisor Emily Seidel said in a statement. "Nikki Haley represents a new generation of leadership and offers a bold, positive vision for our future. AFP Action is proud to be endorsing her and we will be doing everything we can to help make her the next President of the United States."
DeSantis previously had been the donor class' darling. He had garnered seven-figure donations from the likes of billionaire investor Ken Griffin, now of Coral Gables, and trader and investor Jeffrey Yass, said to be the world's 42nd-richest person.
The DeSantis camp's reaction to the endorsement Tuesday came at lightning speed, ridiculing the idea that Haley has a chance of winning the Primary Election.
"Like clockwork, the pro-open borders, pro-jail break bill establishment is lining up behind a moderate who has no mathematical pathway of defeating the former president," read a prepared statement from DeSantis' Communications Director Andrew Romeo. "Every dollar spent on Nikki Haley's candidacy should be reported as an in-kind to the Trump campaign. No one has a stronger record of beating the establishment than Ron DeSantis, and this time will be no different."
The endorsement will mean AFP puts its grass-roots operation in 50 states into action for Haley. It also means extensive mail, digital and connected TV campaigns to supplement those efforts, according to an AFT news release.
DeSantis previously had seemed a natural for AFP's nod. He enjoyed early favor in the polls, with some earlier in the year showing him even besting the former President. But the latest polls show Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and former United Nations' ambassador, gaining on him and even passing him in some key states. Even the polls in Iowa show Haley poised to snatch second place there, even though DeSantis has made it a point to visit every one of the state's 99 counties.
In recent weeks, bettors have begun rating Haley over DeSantis for winning both the Republican nomination for President and the General Election in 2024. This week, in the Primary market, Trump has an aggregated 78.4% chance of winning the nomination, with Haley in a distant second place at 11.5% and DeSantis farther back still, with a 5.7% chance, according to investors.
___
Florida Politics reporter A.G. Gancarski contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment