Earlier this year, Americans for Prosperity made waves when it came out that the organization — the political arm of the Koch brothers — plans to spend $125 million influencing this fall’s midterm elections. Turns out this huge sum, unprecedented for a private group in a midterm election, is actually an underestimate, according to AFP’s President Tim Phillips.
Phillips told the Washington Post that the report pegging AFP’s spending at $125 million “understates the actual amount they will spend” on the midterms. Although he does not specify how much exactly of an understatement it is, Phillips notes that in addition to heavy spending on political ads (which are notoriously misleading), voters can expect AFP to have an expanded on-the-ground presence in several states, like Louisiana. According to Phillips, the group will also continue to interfere with local ballot initiatives, like the Columbus Zoo tax levy.
AFP’s latest revelation serves as another reminder that for the self-serving Koch brothers and their allies, no price is too high for the chance to buy political outcomes that benefit their bottom line.