The Koch Network-backed super PAC backing presidential candidate Nikki Haley will reportedly spend $70 million in an attempt to get her a “strong showing” in Iowa behind GOP front-runner Donald Trump.
The large amount of change indicates that Americans for Prosperity Action, funded by Charles Koch, hopes Haley has enough fuel to overtake her 2024 rival, Ron DeSantis, and is not recruiting Trump supporters, Bloomberg reported.
But Bill Riggs, a spokesman for AFP Action, told The Post that Haley could come in “second or third.”
“AFP Action is working to help Haley finish as strong as possible in Iowa and continue her momentum in New Hampshire. “This will be a marathon, not a sprint,” Riggs said in a statement.
“DeSantis’ team has invested everything they can in Iowa. Whether Haley comes in second or third, she will be well positioned heading into New Hampshire, South Carolina and Super Tuesday.”
The “second or third” place prediction from Haley’s camp is not new. The former South Carolina governor recently lowered public expectations of her in Iowa by saying she only expects a “good performance” in the Jan. 15 caucuses, not necessarily a victory. Her campaign has maintained that they are focusing on several early states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has said he hopes to win the Hawkeye State and has funneled significant resources into traveling to all 99 counties.
The Trump campaign has also said it plans to win Iowa and has a “10 for Trump” plan aimed at turning out a mass of new voters for a landslide victory.
Former UN ambassador and 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks to Iowa residents during a visit to Spirit Lake on December 9, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
AFP Action endorsed the former UN ambassador in late November and promised to deploy “thousands” of activists and grassroots leaders “to knock on doors and get people to vote,” Haley’s campaign said at the time.
The $70 million, which is close to the amount President Biden’s campaign raised last quarter, represents a major funding boost for Haley, who has been rising in the polls but has not yet surpassed DeSantis.
The former president averages 52% in Iowa, compared to 20% for Florida’s governor and 15.8% for Haley, according to RealClearPolitics.
Nikki Haley greets guests during a campaign stop at the Nevada Fairgrounds Community Building on December 18 in Nevada, Iowa. Getty Images Donald Trump speaks during a “Commit to the Caucus” event for his supporters in Coralville, Iowa, on December 13. REUTERS
The largest conservative grassroots coalition has already deployed its army of knockers to curry favor with voters ahead of the caucuses, but has already had some difficulty building mass support for Haley given DeSantis’ presence on the ground, according to Bloomberg.
DeSantis has also struggled to gain traction in the polls and has suffered repeated shakeups to his Never Back Down super PAC.
But his campaign maintains that they do not consider Trump’s electoral advantage “concerning.”
“I think what we’re going to see in Iowa is that the hard work we’ve already put in will pay off,” campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo told the Post after the fourth Republican primary debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“The reality is that we have the support of 42 state legislators and we have now visited all 99 counties,” he added. “That’s what’s going to bear fruit, it’s going to give the votes.”
Haley’s campaign did not respond to The Post’s inquiries.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn