Welcome to Pay Dirt—exclusive reporting and research from The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay on corruption, campaign finance, and influence-peddling in the nation’s capital. For Beast Inside members only.
Less than a month after leaving her post as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley founded a new dark-money group. And according to records obtained by PAY DIRT, she’s using it to raise a whole lot of money that can support her future political plans.
Haley’s group, Stand for America, was formed in January, meaning it hasn’t been around long enough to report any actual financials to the Internal Revenue Service. But it did provide the IRS with estimates of its budget and expenses over the next three years, which show that it is placing a heavy emphasis on fundraising.
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According to the group’s application for tax exemption, Stand for America is looking to bring in $9.1 million through 2021. It anticipates spending about $7.5 million of that cash, and expects that nearly half of all of its expenses will go toward raising money.
Filings with state charity regulators provide additional details about the group’s fundraising operation. They show Stand for America has enlisted the services of leading direct-mail fundraising firm HSP Direct.
The group has also hired veteran Republican fundraiser Mary Kate Johnson as its development director. She was a top fundraiser for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, and her clients since then have included Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, and leading Republican super PAC American Crossroads.
Stand for America anticipates that additional overhead will suck up another sizable chunk of its budget. It told the IRS that it plans to spend about $1.5 million on salary and benefits for its employees, and more than $460,000 on office space, through 2021.
The group’s filings in North Carolina, where it has registered to solicit charitable contributions, provide additional details on its other expenditures. Stand for America expects this year to spend $275,000 on “programming,” $220,000 on something dubbed a “student effort,” $75,000 on “policy development,” $25,000 on travel, and $8,000 producing a podcast.
Stand for America did not respond to questions about its projected expenses.
Its official mission statement says the group will engage in “advocacy for public-policy positions that support American strength in its national affairs, freedom over socialism at home, and empowerment of all American citizens to reach their God-given potential.”
So far, the Stand for America has mostly worked to promote Haley herself through posts on its website and a host of Facebook ads. It’s reported spending nearly $57,000 on the latter.
Dark-money groups such as Stand for America are popular ways for politicians to maintain influence and prominence after leaving public office. They can also be effective vehicles for laying the groundwork for future runs at elected office through the building of email and social-media lists and other ostensibly apolitical activities such as polling.
Most observers expect that Haley’s political career is far from over. The war chest that Stand for America is building could be a potent tool in her future political arsenal.
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