A political network largely funded by billionaire Charles Koch announced Sunday that it will no longer spend funds supporting Nikki Haley’s presidential bid.
The news comes a day after former President Donald Trump defeated Haley in his home state of South Carolina, where he once served as governor.
In an email obtained by NBC News and confirmed by two sources who received it, Americans for Prosperity Action said that after Haley’s loss in South Carolina, the group no longer believed it would make a significant difference for her in the race, said senior adviser Emily Seidel. Instead, the group will focus its resources on voting in House and Senate races.
“She has made it clear that she will continue to fight, and we wholeheartedly support her in that effort,” Seidel said of Haley. “But given the challenges in key states ahead, we don’t believe any outside group can make a material difference to widen his path to victory.”
Politics reported first decision. An AFP representative did not respond to a request for comment.
The move is a blow to Haley, who has vowed to hold on against Trump, who defeated her by nearly 20 percentage points on Saturday. caught all but three representatives.
The AFP provided significant support to Haley on the ground, is mobilizing a wide network of political activists to help win votes for him in early states. The group also spent money on advertising, hoping to fuel its rise. He spent That raised Haley by more than $31 million in the race, according to Federal Election Commission data.
There were donors to Americans for Prosperity, part of the political arm of the larger Koch network pressed The group will support the main candidate of the Republican Party in the race to find an alternative to Trump. Koch-world operations for a very long time was questioned decision, but his chances of winning the nomination are slim.
Haley’s path is now completely blocked, with the former president moving toward her party’s presidential nomination.
A defiant Haley on Sunday touted new fundraising numbers to fuel the fight ahead, vowing to keep her campaign going.
“The AFP is a great organization and ally in the fight for freedom and a conservative government. We thank them for their great help in this race,” Haley’s campaign said. “Our fight continues and we have plenty of fuel to keep going, including more than $1 million from local conservatives in the last 24 hours. We have a country to save.”
When asked about AFP Action’s decision, a source briefed on the decision said that after the New Hampshire primary, “they had already committed to buying TVs on January 8th. And there was hope, real hope, that everything would change.”
This idea began to fade when the surge never materialized.
“There was a sincere objective belief that her campaign was still on the rise, especially when Donald Trump reacted to her doing so well and not dropping out,” the source said. “This hope did not come true”