Charles Koch’s network of conservative groups announced they will spend money in the 2024 primary and made clear their intent to stop Trump.
The Washington Post reported:
“The best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 that marks a new chapter,” wrote Emily Seidel, executive director of the network’s flagship group Americans for Prosperity (AFP), in a memo released Sunday. The three-page letter repeatedly suggests that AFP takes responsibility for stopping Trump, with Seidel writing: “A lot of people are frustrated. But few people are able to do anything about it. AFP is. Now is the time to embrace the opportunity.”
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To avoid a repeat of that finding, the network plans to endorse a single candidate by the end of this summer, according to a person familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the talks were confidential. “AFP Action stands ready to support a candidate in the Republican presidential primary who can lead our country forward and win,” Seidel wrote in the memo.
With Koch agreeing by the end of the summer, they won’t be allowing votes to be cast before putting their thumbs on the scales and trying to pick the Republican presidential nominee. Chances are they will support Ron DeSantis early and leave the money of the Koch political machine behind.
They don’t seem to care that many GOP primary voters see DeSantis as Trump Lite or Trump without the baggage.
The Koch announcement is the latest test that will determine who leads the Republican Party. Party elites are trying to retake their party, but there is a sizeable segment of the Republican base that remains loyal to Trump.
The 2024 nomination may depend on whether the elites or the Republican primary prevail, but the GOP is a party at war with itself, weakened by internal strife.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association
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