The Koch brothers aren’t slowing down thier efforts to get out the Republican vote — even if that means helping elect Donald Trump. Earlier this week, the Koch political machine tried to make it seem like they are slowing down their election spending, a laughable claim.
The truth is that the Kochs haven’t stopped spending because of Trump at all — they’re even making up for his campaign’s deficits. In August, the Kochs had already poured millions into protectingvulnerable GOP senators and candidates in Florida, Indiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to name a few. Now, they’re ramping up their ground game, “spending $250 million” this year and focusing on “get-out-the-vote efforts targeting 5 million” voters.
The Kochs can claim that they don’t like Trump, but as long as they’re spending millions to elect Republicans and making up for his disastrous ground-game, they are key players in the Party of Trump. The billionaire brothers have proven repeatedly that they’ll do whatever it takes to keep their puppets in congress safe, even if that means putting a demagogue in the White House.
Background:
Koch Ground Game Shift
The Koch Network Announced Plans To Shift Away From Advertising, Focus On Ground Game
The Koch Network Planned To Stop Airing Television Ads In Early October 2016 To Focus On Get-Out-The-Vote Efforts Targeting 5 Million Persuadable Voters. According to Politico, “The Koch brothers’ powerful network of conservative groups plans to stop airing television ads in early October and instead focus on get-out-the-vote efforts targeting 5 million persuadable voters in the final weeks of the 2016 Senate elections, network officials said Wednesday.” [Politico, 9/15/16]
- CNN Called The Koch Targeting Strategy “Recognition By The Network That There Are Few Persuadable Voters Remaining, And That They Must Turn Out Voters Perhaps Dismayed By The Two Presidential Candidates.” According to CNN, “The Koch network is spending $250 million on politics and policy in 2016, and are channeling their efforts in the final eight weeks on what they say is 5 million voters in eight Senate states. One group is undecided Senate voters in competitive states, regardless of who they are supporting for president. The second includes reliable Republican voters who lack enthusiasm about this November’s elections. […] The decision is a recognition by the network that there are few persuadable voters remaining, and that they must turn out voters perhaps dismayed by the two presidential candidates.” [CNN, 9/14/16]
Executive Vice President For Strategic Communications For Freedom Partners James Davis: “We Have A Robust Field Capability, And That’s Something That Distinguishes Us From Many Others. So We Have To Play To That Strength, Particularly In The Environment That We’re In In 2016.” According to Real Clear Politics, “‘We’ve been more focused on the field efforts and what is needed there to have a strong impact, particularly given the gap in field operations and infrastructure that can really turn out voters,’ said James Davis, executive vice president for strategic communications for Freedom Partners. ‘We have a robust field capability, and that’s something that distinguishes us from many others. So we have to play to that strength, particularly in the environment that we’re in in 2016.’” [Real Clear Politics, 9/15/16]
The Koch Network’s Decision Was Driven By A Need To Get Out Republican Voters
According To The Washington Post, The Koch Network’s “Intensification Of A Ground Strategy” Was “Driven By An Assessment That Republicans Need Greater Firepower When It Comes To Getting Voters To The Polls.” According to The Washington Post, “The Koch political network plans to stop running television ads in the final month before the November elections, putting its focus instead on labor-intensive field efforts to turn voters out in support of GOP Senate candidates, officials said Wednesday. The intensification of a ground strategy is being driven by an assessment that Republicans need greater firepower when it comes to getting voters to the polls — particularly those unenthused about this year’s campaign.” [Washington Post, 9/14/16]
The Koch Network Planned To Target Voters In Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, And Wisconsin. According to The Washington Post, “But the Koch network, which is not supporting Trump, has spent the last several years working to build a permanent ground force that can be rallied in support of conservative causes and candidates. […] Those organizers are now being trained on 5 million voters in eight states where the network is bolstering GOP Senate candidates: Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.” [Washington Post, 9/14/16]
- CNN Reported That The Koch Network Was “Bulking Up Their Field Program” In Pennsylvania And Indiana, And Added North Carolina And Missouri To Their Targeted States. According to CNN, “The heavy advertising earlier this year was a new posture for the Kochs, who oversee the most influential conservative donor network in the country: They made their mark in the 2012 cycle by knocking on doors and sending direct mail in swing-states, not with flashy television ads financed by their new super PAC, Freedom Partners Action Fund. And now they are bulking up their field program in two states in particular: Pennsylvania and Indiana, where Koch officials said they remained hopeful despite weak polling for Senate hopeful Todd Young. And they are adding two new targets to ther [sic] list of states: North Carolina and Missouri, where Democratic challengers are waging surprisingly successful bids.” [CNN, 9/14/16]
AFP Spokesman Levi Russell: By This July, Field Staffers Had Reached As Many Voters Through Door-Knocking And Phone Calls This Year Than They Did In All Of 2014 And 2015 Combined. According to the Washington Post, “The expanded ground force has allowed the network to dramatically increase its voter outreach. By this July, field staffers had reached as many voters through door-knocking and phone calls this year than they did in all of 2014 and 2015 combined, said Levi Russell, a spokesman for Americans for Prosperity.” [Washington Post, 9/14/16]
But AFP Downplayed The Effect Trump Was Having
Phillips Downplayed Trump’s Down Ballot Impact: “Voters Are Looking At The Two Candidates In Their State, The Presidential And The Senatorial, And At This Moment They’re Differentiating.” According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “While some predicted that Trump at the top of the ticket would pull down Republican incumbents from coast to coast, that hasn’t happened in all cases. Instead, lawmakers including Rob Portman in Ohio, Marco Rubio in Florida and Toomey are running ahead of Trump in their states, and either beating their opponents or keeping it close. ‘Voters are looking at the two candidates in their state, the presidential and the senatorial, and at this moment they’re differentiating,’ said Tim Phillips, president of Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, which is involved in key races.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/14/16]
Phillips On Republicans Disaffected By The Top Of The Ticket: “We’re Not Trying To Persuade Them: We Know They’re Going To Be With Us If They Just Turn Out.” According to Real Clear Politics, “But, even as Trump has recovered in recent polling, the groups have run up against political headwinds from the nominee’s historic unfavorable ratings. Rather than attempt to win over undecided voters under these circumstances, they have focused on motivating Republicans ‘disaffected by the top of the ticket or turned off by all the he-said/she-said stuff that’s going on.’ ‘Right now the enthusiasm among this segment is not where you want to see it for mid-September,’ Phillips said. ‘So they’re becoming a key target for turnout for us. We’re not trying to persuade them: We know they’re going to be with us if they just turn out.’” [Real Clear Politics, 9/15/16]
The Koch Field Program Also Shifted To Explicitly Calling For The Defeat Or Reelection Of Candidates
CNN Reported That The Koch Field Program “Now Expressly Calls For The Defeat Or Reelection Of Candidates,” And That It Was “More Than Twice The Size” Of The Field Program In 2012.According to CNN, “The Koch network is spending $250 million on politics and policy in 2016, and are channeling their efforts in the final eight weeks on what they say is 5 million voters in eight Senate states. […] Their field program, in a shift from prior years, now expressly calls for the defeat or reelection of candidates, and officials said it is more than twice the size of their program in 2012.” [CNN,9/14/16]
AFP Didn’t Shift To Express Advocacy In 2012
AFP President Tim Phillips: AFP’s Surge In Direct Advocacy Was Not What They Wanted To Do “But When We Looked At Some Of The Things We Could Have Done Better In 2012, One Of The Conclusions We Had Was That In Limited Situations It’s Just More Effective.” According to NBC News, “What’s also different this cycle is that Americans for Prosperity, the Koch network’s largest grassroots organization, is engaging in direct advocacy — the direct support or opposition of a candidate. In 2012, the group was emphatic that it was an organization focused on policy and not the politician. But Tim Phillips, the head of Americans for Prosperity, said that changing direction was the result of a ‘difficult decision.’ ‘We wanted to not do that, frankly,’ Phillips told a handful of journalists invited to a strategy session at the organization’s Arlington, Virginia headquarters. ‘But when we looked at some of the things we could have done better in 2012, one of the conclusions we had was that in limited situations it’s just more effective.’” [NBC News, 9/14/16]
- Phillips: “We Never Shifted Our Field Efforts Over To Express Advocacy” In 2012.According to Real Clear Politics, “‘We did express advocacy to defeat President Obama with our television’ in 2012, said AFP President Tim Phillips, ‘but we never shifted our field efforts over to express advocacy.’” [Real Clear Politics, 9/15/16]
Freedom Partners Said It Would Spend $42 Million Of The $250 Million Budget For The Election On TV And Digital Advertising
Real Clear Politics: “Of Its Roughly $250 Million Budget For The Election, Freedom Partners Said It Would Spend $42 Million On TV And Digital Advertising” With The Rest Going To Its Ground Game. According to Real Clear Politics, “Of its roughly $250 million budget for the election, Freedom Partners said it would spend $42 million on TV and digital advertising, all told. The rest will now be focused on its ground game in addition to voter contact by phone and mail, and events.” [Real Clear Politics, 9/15/16]
- According To CNN, The Koch Network’s Planned $42 Million In Advertisements Included “Resources Initially Intended For The Presidential Race.” According to CNN, “The Koch network has planned to spend $42 million of advertisements to boost Republican Senate hopefuls, marshaling resources initially intended for the presidential race toward a half-dozen Senate contests where the millions could make a difference.” [CNN, 9/14/16]
- CNN Reported That The Koch Network Planned To Spend $250 Million On “Politics And Policy” During 2016. According to CNN, “The Koch network is spending $250 million on politics and policy in 2016, and are channeling their efforts in the final eight weeks on what they say is 5 million voters in eight Senate states.” [CNN, 9/14/16]
As Of September 2016, The Koch Network Had 1,200 Paid Staffers In 36 States, Up From 450 Paid Staffers In 2012. According to The Washington Post, “But the Koch network, which is not supporting Trump, has spent the last several years working to build a permanent ground force that can be rallied in support of conservative causes and candidates. For months, it has had 1,200 paid staffers in 36 states across its allied advocacy groups, which include Americans for Prosperity, Concerned Veterans for America, the LIBRE Initiative and Generation Opportunity. That’s up from 450 four years ago, officials said.” [Washington Post, 9/14/16]
The Koch Network Encouraged Supporters To Donate To Voter Organization Elements In The Network
The Koch Network Was Encouraging Supporters To Donate To The Network’s Nonprofits That Were Focused On Organizing Voters. According to CNN, “The Koch network has planned to spend $42 million of advertisements to boost Republican Senate hopefuls, marshaling resources initially intended for the presidential race toward a half-dozen Senate contests where the millions could make a difference. But now, with less than 60 days to go, the network is refocusing, encouraging supporters to donate to their nonprofits tasked primarily with organizing voters in the key Senate states rather than continuing to saturate the airwaves.” [CNN, 9/14/16]