Koch Network Writes Off DeSantis, Backs Haley, Commits Millions $$$
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had strong ties to the group when he ran for governor of Florida.
www.nbcnews.com
This development prompted me to look closer at the Republican Party rules for selecting a presidential nominee, and I need to correct
what I said above. The nominee is selected by the delegates who attend the Republican National Convention. Those delegates are selected in a variety of ways, depending on the party rules in their states (caucuses, primaries, proportional, winner-take-all, etc.).
It is not true what I said above; that "the delegates are locked-in Trump loyalists." The delegates have not yet been selected. I believe it is true that Trump has a strong edge. At this point, the edge has two aspects. The first is Trump's popularity among Republicans who are likely to attend caucuses and/or vote in the primaries. Popularity can shift, but, at present, Trump clearly enjoys that edge.
His other edge is the state party rule changes Trump's operatives and supporters have made in various states that skew the delegate selection process in Trump's favor. The rules are likely to produce a majority of delegates who are locked-in Trump loyalists. Trump is leaving nothing to chance. If there is a way for him to skew the rules to give him an edge, he will do it, and he has done it.
While the Koch/Haley development is interesting, and while it will likely render DeSantis irrelevant, and while Haley may become a unifying rallying point for never-Trumpers and anti-Trumpers, and while other major donors will likely follow Koch's pro-Haley support, and while Haley is a plausible victor in a Haley/Biden contest, Trump still has the edge to become the Republican nominee.
That can change, but a lot of things would have have to fall into place for Trump to crash and Haley to ascend and win.
Even with this Koch/Haley development, the most likely outcome is the Republican Party is going to select a convicted felon as their nominee; and if not a convicted felon, a criminal defendant under four indictments and 91 counts.
One final point of interest: Per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Koch is worth $60 billion. Trump is worth $3 billion.
www.nytimes.com
