Ken Griffin, Koch brothers, GOP billionaire megadonors consider anyone but Trump

Now the Republican donor class is confronting a reality its wealthy members had hoped to avoid: being limited to exerting their clout in the 2024 election cycle only through state-level races, lest they be forced to bankroll Donald Trump’s White House comeback bid. 

With Trump’s overwhelming victory in the South Carolina GOP primary on Saturday, the former president moved closer to claiming his party’s nomination. The powerful Koch network, one of the deepest pockets in conservative politics, on Sunday announced that it would no longer fund Haley, South Carolina’s former two-term governor  — a major reversal that underscored traditional donors’ inability to slow Trump’s momentum.

At issue now is how big donors will redirect their money and influence given the nation’s clangorous politics and gaping divisions.

Billionaire Kenneth Griffin showed interest in DeSantis, the Florida governor, early on and then backed Haley, the former UN ambassador, with a $5 million donation in December, federal records show. But as Trump has dominated the Republican field, Griffin and others have said they’ll concentrate instead on other contests.

“I am focused on actively supporting exceptional candidates across the country, such as David McCormick, Tim Sheehy, and Larry Hogan,” Griffin said in a statement Sunday. “They share my commitment to promoting economic freedom, ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education, putting our national debt and deficit on a sustainable footing, and safeguarding our nation’s security at home and abroad.”

Likewise, the Charles Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action said on Sunday that while Haley continues to have its “strong endorsement,” it’s turning toward down-ballot races.Play Video

“Given the challenges in the primary states ahead, we don’t believe any outside group can make a material…