Northeast
Haley expects to haul in $1.5 million at Wall Street fundraisers to fuel GOP presidential bid against Trump
It’s a lucrative day for Nikki Haley in New York City.
The former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in former President Donald Trump’s administration expects to raise $1.5 million at a trio of top-dollar New York City fundraisers on Tuesday, according to her campaign.
The fundraisers are the first of roughly 10 over the next two weeks that will take Haley to donor-rich environments of South Florida, California and Texas. The campaign told Fox News that the three finance events Wednesday in Palm Beach and Miami, Florida, were expected to bring in over $1 million.
The fundraisers come amid a surge in small dollar grassroots donations for Haley after she grabbed 43% of the vote in her 11-point loss last week in the New Hampshire primary to Trump, the commanding frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
HALEY GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING SOARS, BUT MAJOR DONOR WANTS TO SEE ‘PATH TO VICTORY’
Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in North Charleston, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
Haley’s campaign highlighted that they raked in $4 million in the days following the New Hampshire primary, which turned into a two-candidate contest between Trump and Haley after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign days ahead of the primary.
Tuesday’s high-profile fundraiser is being co-hosted by Wall Street billionaires Leonard Stern, Cliff Asness, Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone and Henry Kravis. Contributions – limited by federal law – were expected to range from $3,300 up to $16,600 per person.
HALEY RAKES IN CAMPAIGN CASH AFTER TRUMP WARNS TOP DOLLAR DONORS
Haley faces a very steep uphill climb for the nomination, and internal polls suggest Trump enjoys a formidable double-digit lead over her in South Carolina, which holds the next GOP primary on Feb. 24.
But Haley remains optimistic she can close the gap in her home state.
“We had 1,500 people in Greenville, a 1,000 people in Charleston, 800 in Conway,” Haley said in a “Fox and Friends” interview on Tuesday morning as she pointed to rallies in her home state the past couple of days. “I’ve got a 76% approval rating there. They know I was a good governor. Now we’re going to show them I’m going to be a good president.”
After her defeat to Trump in New Hampshire, Haley pledged to continue on to her home state of South Carolina, insisting she still has a path to the nomination. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
Despite the tough odds she faces, major Republican donors continue to write checks to Haley.
“There’s definitely an appetite,” a Republican strategist with strong ties to the GOP donor class told Fox News. “It’s another example of the wealthy donors who invest with their heart and their emotions and not with their business sense and their head.”
REPUBLICAN PARTY LEADERS MEET AMID TRUMP-HALEY PRIMARY BATTLE
The strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said, “This is a manifestation of the broader issues with the Republican Party. This is about the elites versus the grassroots. Trump has never been a candidate of the elites. He’s been successful at getting major financial support from them, but he’s not their preferred candidate. He’s the preferred candidate of the working-class, grassroots Republicans, not the big-money elites.”
Former President Donald Trump motions before speaking at a campaign event Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Loche)
Last week, a day after the New Hampshire primary, Trump warned GOP donors to stop contributing to Haley.
“Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” Trump warned on his Truth Social platform.
“Birdbrain” is a derogatory nickname Trump repeatedly uses to refer to Haley.
Haley quickly capitalized on Trump’s threat, and her campaign said it raised over $1 million in the ensuing 24 hours.
The campaign told Fox News it sold over 15,000 shirts that say “barred permanently” after adding them to a campaign store for $25 following Trump’s warning to donors.
“Despite Trump’s unhinged threat to permanently ban anyone who donates to Nikki’s campaign, we’ve seen a surge of support,” a campaign spokesperson said. “We’re energizing the 50% of Republican primary voters who don’t want Trump and are rallying behind Nikki.”
The strategist with ties to the donor class told Fox News, “I don’t think anybody’s intimidated by Trump’s bluster. I think everybody realizes that if they do support Nikki, Trump’s going to need all hands on deck and somehow, miraculously, they’ll be welcomed back with open arms with their checkbooks if they’re so inclined when this is all over.”
While Haley crisscrosses the country to meet with top contributors, her campaign manager Betsy Ankney is expected to make the case this week with a network of Republican megadonors known as the American Opportunity Alliance.
Also invited to the gathering is Susie Wiles, a top adviser on the Trump campaign.
The former president, who has had a stormy relationship over the years with some in the GOP donor class, has been making a concerted effort this cycle to mend fences and court top dollar contributors.
“I think they’re running a much more sophisticated campaign this year than ever before,” a major GOP bundler who asked to remain anonymous told Fox News. “And so, as part of that, they’re looking to consolidate Republican support, both politically and financially.”
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Two parents are facing charges after police say more than 60 teenagers were drinking at a large party in their Plum Borough home.
According to court paperwork, Ian and Corrine Dryburgh have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and furnishing liquor to minors stemming from the incident that happened at a home in Plum Borough late last month.
Police said that officers went to the home after receiving a tip about a large party involving high school aged children.
When officers arrived at the home, they found numerous teenagers, empty beer cans and empty seltzer cans, and multiple bottles of vodka.
The parents told police that a birthday party for their 17-year-old daughter got out of hand and that some kids has been kicked out, but more came and they didn’t know what to do.
According to the criminal complaint, officers said they had been called to the home two previous times for similar reasons.
Police said a total of 66 underage kids were at the home.
Court records show that both parents have been cited via summons and preliminary hearings are scheduled for mid-April.
Connecticut is set to receive more than $154 million aimed at improving health care in rural communities.
The funding comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Rural Health Transformation Program, according to a community announcement.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services will lead the initiative, partnering with other state agencies to implement projects across four core areas: population health outcomes, workforce, data and technology, and care transformation and stability, according to the announcement.
The program will include several innovative projects, such as a mobile clinic pilot with four primary care and four dental vans, a health workforce pipeline through the Area Health Education Center and UConn Health Center, and community health navigators.
“Rural Connecticut has unique challenges, and its residents deserve the same access to high-quality care and support as anyone who lives anywhere else,” Lamont said. “This investment allows us to tackle those challenges head-on – from expanding mental health services and building a stronger health care workforce to modernizing our technology infrastructure and connecting residents to the services they need. This is about making sure every corner of Connecticut has the opportunity to thrive.”
The program was developed through extensive public engagement, including more than 250 written comments, meetings with health care providers, local government officials and community organizations, as well as in-person and virtual listening sessions held across the state, according to the announcement.
Andrea Barton Reeves, commissioner of the state Department of Social Services, highlighted the program’s long-term vision.
“This program reflects our commitment to building systems that work for rural residents over the long term,” she said in the release. “We are excited and grateful to CMS for this opportunity to make sure that our investments are coordinated, impactful, and built to last.”
The program aims to bring health care closer to rural residents while supporting the workforce that provides care, said Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health.
“Every person in rural Connecticut deserves good health care close to home, and the people who provide that care deserve real support too,” Juthani said. “This funding helps us bring care to where people are and build the healthcare workforce our communities need. When we invest in both, we give everyone a better chance at staying healthy.”
Additional information about the Rural Health Transformation Program, including opportunities for public engagement, will be made available as implementation proceeds.
For more information, visit the Connecticut Department of Social Services website at ct.gov/dss.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Looking up at the night sky in northern and rural Maine, it is a sight to behold, almost unique in today’s lit-up world. The Rangeley region is one of the last areas in the Northeast largely untouched by light pollution.
It is also a draw for many tourists and stargazers who come to the region for the clear view of the night sky.
A new group called Friends of the Western Maine Dark Sky hopes that by limiting the amount of light pollution, those views will be preserved for generations to come.
The group gathered at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust on March 3 to talk about ways to educate the community on the importance of dark skies to the region.
One of their primary efforts is to try to designate Rangeley as an official Dark Sky community.
The designation will require a few steps. First, an application will be submitted to DarkSky International expressing an interest. Then, the town of Rangeley will need to adopt a new lighting ordinance at the June town meeting.
A new state law taking effect in October will require publicly funded outdoor lighting across the state to be dimmed at night to protect wildlife and dark skies. This includes using warm, yellow-toned bulbs, dimming or turning off nonessential lights and shielding lights so they don’t shine upward into the sky.
The town ordinance would create guidelines similar to the state laws on the kinds of lights used in town, as well as restrict some signs, such as LED message boards. Existing boards would be allowed to remain in place.
“The fact that the existing signage is grandfathered in perhaps bodes well for getting an approval of the town meeting,” said Linda Dexter, Dark Sky community certification coordinator at the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, who is leading the effort. “It’s going to impact businesses in the town … right out of the gate, folks will tend to not vote for it.”
Even if an ordinance passes, change would likely be slow. Most of the group’s efforts will be on community education, such as informing seasonal residents to turn off the lights at their camps while they are gone for the winter. Also, the application may not be approved for up to six months after it is submitted, Dexter said.
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