A conservative super PAC is launching a major ad campaign urging voters to pick someone other than Donald Trump in next year’s Republican primary.
Americans For Prosperity Action, a super PAC backed by billionaire conservative activist Charles Koch, is spending $1.68 million on ads in North Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee, according to the Carolina Journal.
All three are among the 15 “Super Tuesday” states, or states that will host nominating contests on March 5. Given the number of states at play, a strong showing can make a candidacy, while a weak one can kill it off.
Christine Ravold, regional communications manager for the PAC, told the Journal that “it’s time to turn the page” from Trump.
The former president is facing a combined 91 felony indictments in four separate cases, and is expected to spend significant time in courtrooms defending himself next year.
The PAC told the News & Observer that it has concerns over Trump’s electability.
The spot appears to be the same one the PAC ran last week during the Republican presidential debate:
That spot was part of a $4 million campaign aimed at the early-primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, according to the Washington Post.
The PAC signaled earlier this year that it was going to support someone other than Trump as the GOP’s nominee.
“The best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter,” Americans for Prosperity CEO Emily Seidel wrote in a memo in February.
Earlier this summer, Americans for Prosperity Action said it had raised a $70 million for political races.
The organization has never waded into primaries, but said that would change this time as it seeks to ensure Trump fails as they believe he would lose to President Joe Biden in next year’s general election.
“There is a clear sense of urgency around choosing candidates who can win,” an unnamed official with the PAC told Reuters in June. “Even a significant number of President Trump’s owns supporters are concerned about his electability and open to an alternative.”