The Republican Party’s wealthiest donors are signaling their opposition to Donald Trump as the party’s nominee in the next presidential election, indicating those who are against Trump will be financially supported in the 2024 primaries.
Two Biggest Donor Groups Oppose Trump’s 2024 Nomination
The two biggest Republican donor groups, the Koch Network and Club for Growth, are publicly opposing Trump’s nomination for the 2024 presidential primaries.
This signals that candidates against Trump will have strong financial backing. The Koch Network is known for being the largest political spending group on the right, while Club for Growth is a well-established fiscally conservative organization with former close ties to Trump.
“The Koch network joins the Club for Growth and several of the party’s biggest individual donors, such as finance billionaires Kenneth C. Griffin and Stephen A. Schwartzman in signaling their opposition to Trump’s current campaign.” The balloon’s bursting https://t.co/V6JrlZspcg
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) February 6, 2023
In 2016, when Trump was first running for president, he was largely funded by small donors and received a significant amount of media coverage.
However, the current opposition from prominent, influential groups within the Republican Party suggests they are ready for a change and may support other candidates in the 2024 presidential primary.
The Koch Network, one of the largest-spending political groups on the right, made its stance clear by revealing its intention to invest significantly to prevent Trump and his associates from becoming the nominee for the 2024 Republican primary.
This declaration was made in a memo from Americans for Prosperity, a major part of the network.
In the memo sent to backers, Americans for Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel stated, “The GOP is putting forth poor candidates who are promoting ideas that go against the fundamental principles of America. The general public is rejecting them.”
Alternative Candidates Being Considered
A marked departure, the network never before intervened in a GOP presidential primary to promote or hinder any candidates, despite having collectively spent nearly a half-billion dollars in the 2020 election cycle.
Prior to the emergence of Trump, Charles and David Koch, famously known as the Koch brothers, were at the forefront of conservative political spending.
Despite a decrease in spending during the Trump era, their network of hundreds of donors continued to support their political endeavors, with nearly half a billion dollars invested in down-ticket candidates and various political organizations during the 2020 election cycle.
Additionally, their super PAC made a significant contribution of $80 million to the 2022 elections.
The Club for Growth likewise recently released polling results from a survey of Republican primary voters, which indicated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a lead over Trump, 49% to 40% in a one-on-one scenario.
NEWS: The Club for Growth fires a warning shot at Trump on the eve of his ‘24 launch – and indicates it might back DeSantis
Club – a former staunch Trump ally – releases polling memo showing DeSantis with wide leads over Trump in IA/NH/FL/GAhttps://t.co/fbofBWrWx3
— Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) November 14, 2022
According to David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, the goal of the organization is to ensure the Republican Party nominates a candidate with a winning potential.
McIntosh stated the party should be open to considering alternative options and highlighted Governor DeSantis as the strongest contender.
On Monday, McIntosh announced the Club for Growth would extend invitations to every Republican candidate included in the poll to attend their donor retreat, with the exception of Trump.
