GOP Koch Network Pulls Funding for Nikki Haley Amid Five Consecutive Defeats

After five consecutive losses for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, her biggest supporter, Koch Network, has stopped funding her campaign.

According to the report by Politico on the 25th, despite Haley’s determination to persevere after her political home state of South Carolina’s primary loss, Charles Koch, CEO of Koch Network and a prominent Republican donor, has halted his support.

In an email sent to employees immediately after the South Carolina primary, the private political group led by Koch CEO, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), stated, “Haley has expressed her will to continue the fight, and we support her efforts.” However, they added, “We need to review our 2024 election strategy and focus on key congressional elections.” Politico interpreted this as a declaration that “support remains unchanged, but election funds will not be provided,” essentially a “death sentence” for Haley, who has suffered five consecutive losses since the Iowa caucus.

The Koch brothers, well-known for their involvement in the oil industry, have long been supporters of the Republican party in the United States. They have provided substantial financial support to conservative election campaigns and decision-making, both directly and indirectly. According to a report by AFP, the Koch brothers donated $70 million to the Republican party alone in the previous year.

Haley’s swift emergence as a potential rival to Trump was mainly due to support from the Koch brothers. The Koch brothers were against Trump’s candidacy in 2016 due to his extremist actions and anti-immigration policies. They utilized their vast financial resources to prevent his election, and this continued throughout the 2020 election and this year. Last year, Koch’s CEO handpicked and backed Haley as the new Republican presidential candidate to block Trump’s re-election. However, Haley’s popularity did not rise as anticipated, leading to continuous losses in the primaries, and ultimately, the Koch camp ceased funding her campaign.

Trump easily defeated Haley, who secured 39.5% of the votes, with a 59.8% vote share in the South Carolina Republican primary held on the 24th. South Carolina, where Haley served as governor, is known as her political home ground and the city where her chances of victory were the highest.