Taking on Trump, a Super PAC Backing Haley Aims at Independent Voters

A group of entrepreneurs is forming a super political action committee to try to draw independent voters to Nikki Haley, in the latest sign that many opponents of former President Donald Trump in the business world are coalescing around Haley as their favored alternative.

The super PAC, called Independents Moving the Needle, will initially focus on New Hampshire, where Republican voters are more moderate than in many other states — and, crucially, where voters who are not registered with a party can choose to participate in the Republican or Democratic primary race.

After the New Hampshire primary Jan. 23, the group will turn to South Carolina — Haley’s home state — and to “selected Super Tuesday states with open primaries,” according to a memo shared with The New York Times.

“We all believe that Nikki Haley is an outstanding leader,” the memo says. “She has by far the best <em>electability</em> of any Republican presidential candidate in 2024. We are convinced that our efforts will not be futile, as some may fear, and that Donald Trump does not inevitably have to be the Republican candidate — not at all.”

The founders of the super PAC are Frank Laukien, the CEO of a life-science research and diagnostics company; Jonathan Bush, the founder and CEO of a health care data company and a cousin of former President George W. Bush; Bonnie Anderson, the founder and CEO of a cancer testing company; Robert Fisher, a white-collar lawyer and former federal prosecutor; and Tamra Laukien, the founder and CEO of a health and wellness coaching company, who is married to Frank Laukien.

They said in the memo that they saw Haley “as a forward-thinking, next-generation leader, whose vision, values, integrity, optimism and energy make her the best choice as the Republican presidential candidate.” They did not discuss specific policies but broadly praised her positions on issues including inflation, taxes, support for Ukraine and Israel, and border security.

A spokesperson for Haley’s campaign declined to comment.

The new organization, which was first reported by ABC News and the New Hampshire outlet WMUR, is part of a larger gravitation of business leaders toward Haley’s candidacy.

On Wednesday at the 2023 DealBook Summit, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, urged even “very liberal Democrats” to help Haley. He did not take the position that the nominee should be anyone but Trump. “He might be the president,” Dimon said. “I have to deal with that, too.”

The political network founded by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch endorsed her Tuesday, and a number of executives and hedge fund investors have begun donating to her campaign in recent weeks.

Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are battling to become the main Republican challenger to Trump, who remains far ahead in polls of the nomination contest. As Haley has consolidated support from business leaders, DeSantis has received two major endorsements in Iowa: from Gov. Kim Reynolds and from evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/us/politics/nikki-haley-super-pac-trump.html">The New York Times</a>.