A DeSantis donor relayed it to the governor’s aides, who were “apoplectic” and began a full-court press with AFP to buy their candidate more time to return to favor, according to two sources familiar with the matter.ĭeSantis had a direct conversation with an AFP executive, according to a person familiar with the discussion. The DeSantis team got wind of the likely Haley endorsement after an AFP backer discussed it at a gathering of political donors two weeks ago. Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC, raised more than $70 million in the first half of the year, according to Federal Election Commission records. The group has spent around $4 million on ads so far this cycle (digital, satellite and radio), according to AdImpact tracking. It’s known in Republican circles as a turnkey operation - as soon as they decide, AFP can kick into gear. An endorsement brings with it lucrative financial backing and an early state operation that rivals the infrastructure of the Republican National Committee. The network had already waded into the Republican primary with advertisements targeting former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. We have a country to save, and I’m grateful to have AFP Action by our side.”įor weeks, people briefed on the matter cautioned that the decision wasn’t considered final until it was announced, with others noting until days before the announcement that the group could still end up backing DeSantis instead.Ī day before the announcement, a representative for the group insisted to NBC News the decision was still in progress. This is a choice between freedom and socialism, individual liberty and big government, fiscal responsibility and spiraling debt. “AFP Action’s members know that there is too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines. “I’m honored to have the support of Americans for Prosperity Action, including its millions of grassroots members all across the country,” Haley said in a statement after the announcement. The push by donors came as the Republican primary field shrank, after former Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. “But Nikki Haley also was an early ally, going back to the Tea Party movement when she ran for governor of South Carolina, and is also aligned on the issues.”ĭonors to Americans for Prosperity, a piece of the political arm of the larger Koch network, had pressed the deep-pocketed group to make a decision and use their resources to boost a preferred candidate sooner rather than later, two sources familiar with the decision said. Governor DeSantis has been a good ally and a champion of many policy positions of AFP and the state of Florida,” a source briefed on the matter said. Ron DeSantis appears to be at the losing end of the decision, as he struggles to find traction and has tried to find a spark to propel his listless campaign. While Haley stands to gain support in key primary states, Florida Gov. 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.” “Nikki Haley represents a new generation of leadership and offers a bold, positive vision for our future. It’s clear that candidate is Nikki Haley,” Emily Seidel, senior advisor to AFP Action, said in a statement. “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.
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