Welcome to the new Never Trump.
The 45th president’s enemies on the right are mustering for a final big money showdown designed to crush his hopes of a third consecutive Republican nomination less than 50 days before voting starts in the GOP primary race.
Nikki Haley will be the lavishly funded vessel carrying the hopes of the influential network funded by billionaire Charles Koch and top industrial and corporate donors who think Donald Trump is a risk too far next November.
Their bet is that the former South Carolina governor can succeed where busted 2016 $100 million front-runner Jeb Bush, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, two impeachments, old school Republicans like Mitt Romney, millions splashed by the Club for Growth and the Lincoln Project and allied groups, a 2020 election defeat, a pliant House GOP majority and several special counsels failed.
Tuesday’s endorsement from Americans for Prosperity Action is the latest indication that Haley – on the strength of a shrewd campaign, a new generational message, and several strong debate performances – is now the GOP establishment’s favorite as the Trump-alternative.
But despite the advantage of the Koch network’s tens of millions of dollars and its vast political machine, the endorsement poses new questions for Haley – the latest woman to take a turn trying to break the highest glass ceiling in politics.
First, will this new boost relatively late simply make her one of the best-financed runners-up in US political history? Or can she use it to mount a serious challenge to the ex-president in building a path to the GOP nomination that does not yet seem to exist?
At the very least, the decision of one of the premier networks in conservative politics to climb on board the accelerating Haley train could help create the only conditions under which Trump could be beaten…
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