A NeverTrumper crowd within GOP elites thinks they’ve seen the crack in Donald Trump’s armor after many conservatives have voiced dismay at the lackluster performance of Republicans following the 2022 Midterms
As the highest-elect Republican in recent years Donald Trump’s status as the de facto head of the Party was called into question.
Now the Koch network is upping the ante for 2024.
And they aren’t coalescing behind Trump’s candidacy in the way he’d hoped.
For years Democrats and the legacy media demonized the Koch brothers, Charles and the late David Koch, and their network of libertarian-leaning conservative organizations.
It’s no surprise why, considering that in the 2020 Midterm elections alone, Koch-connected organizations spent over $500 million in support of conservative candidates and causes.
But close political watchers may have noticed that “Koch-funded” all but disappeared from media attack pieces in recent years, after the network seemingly stayed on the sidelines in 2022.
But that could get turned on its head after the Koch network made clear their plans for 2024.
In a new memo from the primary Koch organization, Americans for Prosperity, CEO Emily Seidaleffex indicated that the Koch network would be looking to support someone other than former President Donald Trump in 2024.
“Our country must move past the current political situation—we’ve got to turn the page on the past several years,” Seidal wrote. “If we want to elect better people, we need better candidates. And if we want better candidates, we’ve got to get involved in elections earlier and in more primaries.”
She went on to suggest that the Republican Party has been nominating “bad candidates” who push an un-American agenda.
“The Republican Party is nominating bad candidates who are advocating for things that go against core American principles,” the AFP CEO added. “And the American people are rejecting them.”
Seidal went on to explain that in a Presidential election, each party’s nominee “sets the tone for the entire election,” and therefore, Republicans must “turn the page” – in other words, nominate someone other than Trump.
“The loudest voice in each political party sets the tone for the entire election,” Seidel suggested. “In a Presidential year, that’s the Presidential candidate. And to write a new chapter for our country, we need to turn the page on the past. So the best thing for the country would be to have a President in 2025 who represents a new chapter.”
“The American people have shown that they’re ready to move on, and so AFP will help them do that,” she concluded.
It’s certainly one thing when the Republican establishment, like Senators Mith McConnell (R-KY) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) or disgraced, failed former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY), outright say they want to move on from Trump and go in some other direction.
Obviously, that “other direction” is simply code for abandoning America First principles in favor of appeasing Democrats and the legacy media.
While the Koch network may not be ready to cast their lot with the Romney’s and Cheney’s, it’s clear they’re ready to throw down the gauntlet and move on from Donald Trump.
They’ve made clear they’ll be involved in the 2024 Primary.
Ultimately, the true impact of the Koch network’s involvement in the 2024 Primary won’t matter unless grassroots, America First conservatives have their say.
And that won’t be known until votes are counted.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
