The network connected to conservative billionaire Charles Koch is launching a key political strategy to keep former President Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee for the White House in 2024.
Americans for Prosperity Action pledged on Thursday that it would, for the first time in its history, back a single contender in the GOP presidential primary. That singular candidate has not been announced, but they can expect to benefit from the $70 million the network has collected to use for political races next cycle.
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With the entire support of the network behind them, the chosen candidate is likely to reshape the Republican candidate pool dramatically. Currently, Trump is the front-runner in most polls, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) either leading, tying, or slightly trailing the former president, as surveys vary.
Americans for Prosperity said part of the strategy will also look at bringing more general election voters into the GOP primary process to alter the outcome of early contests. Polling from third-party organizations shows that if Trump were not the GOP candidate on the ticket, many Republican or conservative voters would not show up to vote.
The network is launching new digital ads that will paint Trump as a risky candidate and unfit for office in 2024. Two ads, called “The Choice” and “Unelectable,” have been released and will air in key battleground states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada — states where Trump has received heavy support from Republicans in the past and will likely be difficult for Democrats to win or maintain.
In “The Choice” ad, the 30-second spot hits at Trump’s inability to move on from the past and his debunked claims of election fraud in 2020.
“Instead of making [President Joe] Biden answer for his reckless progressive agenda, Trump makes the debate about indictments, personal grievances, and the election he lost,” the ad states.
The second ad, “Unelectable,” paints Trump as a serial loser whose far-right endorsed candidates cost Republicans the Senate, the White House, and a larger majority in the House.
“If Donald Trump is the GOP nominee, we could lose everything,” the ad’s narrator stated.
Americans for Prosperity Action CEO Emily Seidel said in a statement to CNN in early June that the group’s voter interactions have demonstrated that many Trump supporters are “receptive to arguments that he is a weak candidate, his focus on 2020 is a liability, and his lack of appeal with independent voters is a problem.”
“That tells us that many Republicans are ready to move on; they just need to see another candidate step up and show they can lead and win,” Seidel added.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to CNN that Trump will continue to “fight against the swampy D.C. insiders who would love nothing more than to have an establishment puppet they can control in the White House.”
“No amount of dirty money from shady lobbyists and mysterious donors will ever stop the America First movement, and that’s why President Trump continues to dominate poll after poll — both nationally and statewide. We welcome this fight,” Cheung said.
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Americans for Prosperity Action also announced a series of endorsements for United States Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Young Kim (R-CA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), and John James (R-MI). The network will also support former Republican New Mexico Rep. Yvette Herrell.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Americans for Prosperity Action and Cheung for comment.
