To the great relief of working families and the great disappointment of the Kochs, Missouri will not become a right-to-work state. Despite heavy spending and campaign efforts by the Missouri chapter of the Kochs’ political long arm, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), they did not win enough votes to overturn Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of the legislation.

In May, the Missouri Senate passed the right-to-work bill, 21-13 — just two votes shy of being able to overturn Gov. Nixon’s promised veto.

AFP Missouri spent the summer going all in on right-to-work. According to St. Louis Public Radio, AFP Missouri spent $200,000 running a TV ad campaign. The Missouri Times reported that the Koch group also released a letter “signed by 55 different organizations… [that] details the economic impact statistics that right to work legislation has had on the 25 states that have adopted such measures.” In addition to their six-figure TV buy, AFP sent out mailers, purchased a billboard, knocked on doors, and paid for a radio ad as time to reverse the veto ran out.

Despite all of this, Democrats and Republicans teamed up against them, making AFP and the Kochs losers.

Republican Rep. Linda Black, who voted against right-to-work, told The Missouri Times, “Over the past 7 years I’ve been in office I’ve had thousands of my constituents call in, write and visit the Capitol who oppose RTW. There are a few (20 or less) who support RTW. Those totals speak for will of the majority and I will continue to oppose RTW.”

Although AFP is sure to campaign against the legislators who refused to support right-to-work, for now, Missouri’s working families can rest easy knowing the Kochs didn’t win this time.