An organization linked to an influential conservative donor announced this week that it was pulling its material support from the campaign of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R). AFP Action had endorsed the candidate over President Donald Trump but is rescinding it following her loss in the South Carolina primary this weekend.
AFP Action, part of the group Americans for Prosperity, announced in an email that Haley likely had no path to winning the GOP nomination. an adviser for the group wrote that no “outside group” could make a “material difference” toward a Haley win.
“And so while we will continue to endorse her, we will focus our resources where we can make the difference. And that’s the U.S. Senate and House,” the email read.
The group linked to billionaire Charles Koch had provided millions in funding for the candidate, including a number of ads. When AFP Action announced it was supporting Haley late last year it pledged $27 million to support her.
New: AFP Action will stop spending to boost Nikki Haley's presidential bid.
"We don’t believe any outside group can make a material difference to widen her path to victory," senior adviser says. https://t.co/5HzOMvk1my
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) February 25, 2024
Haley said that she was “not worried” about the removal of support. She called AFP “an amazing partner” that believes in “freedom” and “limited government.”
“They believe in all the things that I, as a conservative, believe. And they’ve been fantastic through these states,” she said.
The news came after Trump beat Haley by a significant margin in the state that she was governor of. The win cemented another in a string of victories for the former president.
Despite the loss in her home state, Haley said that she would stay in the race. Haley said that the result showed “South Carolina’s frustration with our country’s direction. I’ve seen that sense of frustration nationwide.”
The former governor said that there were “huge numbers of voters in our Republican primaries who are saying they want an alternative.”
Even following Haley’s comments and her decision to stay in the race, the former president is leading in every national poll. Trump is also leading in every major statewide poll, including the next major primary in Michigan.
