Washington : The influential Americans for Prosperity super-PAC on Tuesday said it is endorsing Indian-American Nikki Haley, 51, for president and she is best positioned to beat former president Donald Trump in the primary elections and incumbent President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential elections.
"AFP Action is proud to throw our full support behind Nikki Haley, who offers America the opportunity to turn the page on the current political era, to win the Republican primary and defeat Joe Biden next November. Haley will have the full weight and scope of AFP Action's unmatched grassroots army and resources to help her earn the support of Americans to become the next President of the United States of America," said Emily Seidel, senior adviser of the group, in a memo.
In a statement, Haley said, "I am honoured to have the support of Americans for Prosperity Action, including its millions of grassroots members all across the country." "AFP Action's members know that there is too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines. This is a choice between freedom and socialism, individual liberty and big government, fiscal responsibility and spiralling debt. We have a country to save, and I am grateful to have AFP Action by our side," the Republican presidential candidate said.
Notably, Trump continues to be the leading candidate by far in all the opinion polls among Republican primary voters. However, in several opinion polls, Haley, a two-term former governor of South Carolina and former US Ambassador to the UN, is seen defeating Biden in a hypothetical poll.
"AFP Action's endorsement will put thousands of AFP Action activists and grassroots leaders into the field with a focus on the early primary states knocking on doors and urging voters to support Nikki Haley. Additionally, in the coming days, we will launch extensive mail, digital, and connected television campaigns to supplement those on-the-ground efforts," the memo said.
It said Haley has a long track record of empowering people with more freedom and opportunity and supporting policies that favour competition over control.
"As Governor, Haley's work to expand education opportunities, improve access and lower costs in our healthcare system, and protect freedom and flexibility in our workforce shows she shares our belief that the solutions to our most pressing challenges lie in free people - not heavy-handed government. While we don't agree with anyone on every issue, Nikki Haley, by far, offers the best opportunity to improve the lives of all Americans," the memo said.
"The foremost challenge confronting our nation, affecting every American, is the economy. Nikki Haley presents a bold and robust strategy to tackle the inflation that is making everything more expensive for American families - addressing the out-of-control government spending and simplifying the tax code to benefit the American people rather than special interests. Simultaneously, she has the courage to advocate for reforms to an entitlement system that makes promises it can't keep," it added.