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An influential network backed by billionaire Charles Koch is looking to convince conservatives to move past Donald Trump as a presidential candidate for 2024 and “turn the page on the past several years.”
What Happened: Americans for Prosperity, the group backed by Koch, said in a public memo released on Sunday that the Republican Party is “nominating bad candidates who are advocating for things that go against core American principles.”
“Lots of people are frustrated. But very few people are in a position to do something about it. AFP is. Now is the time to rise to the occasion.”
The memo did not mention Trump by name but said “the best thing” for the U.S. would be to “have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter.”
The contents of the memo were reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.
Why It Matters: Koch, 87, represents one of the most powerful voices among conservative Americans. With his brother, David, who died in 2019, Koch poured hundreds of millions of dollars into conservative causes and a network to promote an agenda that made them villains to some on the left.
The AFP has spent nearly $500 million backing Republican candidates and conservative policies in the 2020 election cycle alone, according to the New York Times, but has never supported political candidates in Presidential primaries before.
“In 2024, AFP and AFP Action will get engaged in more primaries at every level of office,” the group said in its latest memo.
So far, Trump has been the only Republican who has made public his intentions for 2024. Other expected candidates from the party include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Photo by Fortune Brainstorm TECH on Flickr
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Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.