Nikki Haley may not realize it yet, but her fledgling presidential campaign is effectively over.
Despite losing the GOP presidential primary in her home state of South Carolina, former governor Haley has insisted that she will remain in the campaign.
“I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” she told supporters.
But she is going to be persisting in her fight without the help of powerful financial backing from billionaires who have thus far bankrolled her longshot campaign.
That is because the Koch brothers are all-but-done with Haley’s 2024 bid.
“Americans for Prosperity Action, the network backed by billionaire Charles Koch, is pausing its financial support of GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s campaign a day after she lost to former President Donald Trump in her home-state primary in South Carolina,” CNBC reported.
“AFP Action said it still endorses Haley for president but now its support will only come in the form of words — not cash,” the report added.
“Given the challenges in the primary states ahead, we don’t believe any outside group can make a material difference to widen her path to victory,” AFP Action CEO Emily Seidel wrote in an email to staff reported by Politico. “And so while we will continue to endorse her, we will focus our resources where we can make the difference.”
As conservative pundit Benny Johnson put it on X, it’s “over” for Nikki (Haley.)
It’s over for Nikki pic.twitter.com/7zBALvpXKM
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 26, 2024
In spite of the primary defeats and the AFP funding pause setback, Haley has promised to continue running through Super Tuesday on March 5.
“AFP is a great organization and ally in the fight for freedom and conservative government. We thank them for their tremendous help in this race,” Haley’s campaign said in a statement on Sunday. “Our fight continues, and with more than $1 million coming in from grassroots conservatives in just the last 24 hours, we have plenty of fuel to keep going. We have a country to save.”
AFP will instead throw its support behind Congressional Republican races. The establishment Republican organization has thus far endorsed five Senate candidates and 19 House candidates.
