The Koch brothers’ invisible primary has allowed them to pull the strings in the GOP presidential fight from from behind the scenes. Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina have made it clear they are salivating at the chance for a bite of Koch cash. The Kochs even had the decency to provide talking points for tonight’s debate. All ten candidates on the stage tonight support policies that will boost billionaires like the Kochs and hurt middle class and working families.
Take a look at the candidates’ ties to the Kochs:
Rubio
Koch Primary
Headline: “Marco Rubio: I Would Love To Win Support From The Koch Brothers In 2016.” [Washington Times, 4/23/15]
The Kochs “Identified Five Candidates Who Have The Right Message And ‘A Good Chance Of Getting Elected’”: Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, And Marco Rubio. According to USA Today, “[Charles] Koch, his brother David and their team have identified five candidates who have the right message and ‘a good chance of getting elected,’ he told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview at Koch Industries’ headquarters. They are Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida.” [USA Today, 4/21/15]
CNN: “Marco Rubio Courted New Hampshire Voters Allied With Two Powerful Organizations At The Center Of The Koch Brothers’ Sprawling Political Network During Campaign Events On Thursday.” According to CNN, “Marco Rubio courted New Hampshire voters allied with two powerful organizations at the center of the Koch Brothers’ sprawling political network during campaign events on Thursday.” [CNN, 6/25/15]
Koch Funding
“Individuals Affiliated With” Koch Industries Collectively Were Sen. Marco Rubio’s 10th Largest Donor Since He Won His Senate Seat In 2010, Donating $37,200 Total. According to Yahoo, “That probably explains why Rubio’s donor list to date includes many more corporate contributors than either Cruz’s or Paul’s. Here’s a list of Rubio’s top 10 donors since he first ran for the Senate in 2010, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics. Keep in mind that these are mostly contributions from individuals affiliated with each group, rather than single-sum donations from the group itself: […] [10.] Koch Industries, the conglomerate run by conservative activist brothers Charles and David Koch: $37,200. (Koch has donated $17,000 to Sen. Paul since 2010.)” [Yahoo, 4/13/15]
Koch Agenda
Freedom Partners Praised Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul, and Sen. Marco Rubio For Their Opposition To Reauthorizing The Export-Import Bank. According to the Washington Times, “Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit group with ties to the billionaire philanthropists Charles and David Koch, applauded four potential GOP presidential contenders on Tuesday for supporting the end of the Export-Import Bank. ‘Former Governor Jeb Bush, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Rand Paul and Senator Marco Rubio’s opposition to reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank is a clear sign that opposition to the bank extends from the grassroots all the way to some of the most prominent figures in national politics,’ Freedom Partners President Marc Short said in a statement.” [Washington Times, 3/3/15]
Sen. Marco Rubio “Did Not Disagree With The Science Of Climate Change” But Insisted That The New Rules Would “Make The Cost Of Electricity High For Millions Of Americans.” According to The Hill, “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) did not disagree with the science of climate change, but focused on how the new rules would hurt the economy. ‘It will make the cost of electricity high for millions of Americans,’ he said, adding that while a billionaire wouldn’t mind the increase in energy costs, a single mother would.” [The Hill, 8/3/15]
Bush
Koch Primary
Bush Called The Koch Network An “Important Part Of Any Coalition To Win The Primary.” According to MSNBC, “‘If I go beyond the consideration to be an active candidate, my hope is to garner as much support across the whole spectrum of the Republican party,’ [Jeb] Bush told msnbc after a meet-and-greet with the Manhattan Republican Party on the Upper East Side. He called the Koch brothers’ network an ‘important part of any coalition to win the primary, so I don’t view it as auditioning for sure. But my intention is, if I’m a candidate, I will reach out to every sector of the party.’” [MSNBC, 4/23/15]
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich: Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, And Marco Rubio Are “On Bended Knee Before ‘Oligarchs’ Like The Koch Brothers.’” According to Politico, “Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he’s frightened by the prospect of his party’s top candidates – from Jeb Bush to Scott Walker to Marco Rubio — appearing on bended knee before “oligarchs” like the Koch Brothers.” [Politico, 8/3/15]
Koch Agenda
Jeb Bush Came Out Against The Export-Import Bank
Jeb Bush “Made A Major Concession To Conservatives” And Came Out Against The U.S. Export-Import Bank, Which AFP Is Also Against. According to Slate, “Jeb Bush has been adamant that he will not switch his positions on two issues, immigration and Common Core standards, that will generate conservative opposition in the Republican primaries. But he just made a major concession to conservatives on another issue of great importance to many of them—he came out against the U.S. Export-Import Bank. And this new position of Bush’s is not just hard to reconcile with his politics—it’s hard to reconcile with his own business career. Over the past few years, many conservatives have seized on the Ex-Im Bank as a glaring example of crony capitalism, and they will oppose its reauthorization when it comes up in June. They say the bank, which aids exporters by guaranteeing loans for foreign buyers of U.S. products, mainly aids giants like Boeing, GE, and Caterpillar, and, under proper accounting standards, is running a 10-year deficit of $2 billion, on top of its operating costs. The bank’s supporters argue that it is helping a vast array of smaller businesses as well, and that it is essentially self-financing, at minimal cost to U.S. taxpayers. The relatively obscure institution—which was founded in 1934 and whose leadership is appointed by the president—has become a major point of contention on the right, with groups like the Club for Growth and the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity coming out against it while the traditional business lobby, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, supports it.” [Slate,3/2/15]
Privatization Of The Veterans Affairs System
Jeb Bush “Voiced Support” For “The Effort To Privatize Parts Of The VA System,” Which Was “A Priority Of The Koch Brothers-Backed Group, Concerned Veterans For America.” According to the Wall Street Journal, “Last month in New Hampshire, Mr. Bush voiced support for 2014 legislation that allows veterans to see doctors outside the VA system if they experience long wait times or live more than 40 miles from the closest VA hospital. ‘I know it has a pejorative for some, but I’m all in on the voucher thing,’ he said at a March house party in Dover. ‘No one’s suggesting we shut down the VA system. But the simple fact is the VA doesn’t look like it’s made any effort to [let] veterans know that this is available to them. And the number of people taking advantage of this is very, very low.’ The effort to privatize elements of the VA system is a priority of the Koch brothers-backed group, Concerned Veterans for America, which in February called for creating a ‘premium-support private insurance option’ for current veterans and limiting eligibility requirements for future veterans.” [Wall Street Journal, 4/8/15]
Ending The Ethanol Mandate
Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, And Ted Cruz Have Followed The Kochs’ Lead On The Ethanol Mandate. According to the LA Times, “[Jeb] Bush said in March that he wants to phase it out. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has hedged his position, saying he might do the same. [Ted] Cruz has sponsored a bill to eliminate it. Those three candidates, along with [Marco] Rubio and [Rand] Paul, were named by Charles Koch as being on a shortlist of candidates he might support, though that is unlikely to discourage others from courting the Kochs.” [LA Times, 6/9/15]
Phasing Out Medicare
At An AFP Event In New Hampshire, Jeb Bush Told The Crowd That He Wanted To “Phase Out” Medicare In Its Current Form For Future Beneficiaries. According to Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire blog, ‘At a forumWednesday in Manchester, N.H., organized by Americans for Prosperity, a leading conservative group, Mr. [Jeb] Bush said he wanted to ‘phase out’ Medicare in its current form for the entitlement program’s future beneficiaries, while protecting it for people receiving benefits now. He said: ‘I think a lot of people recognize that we need to make sure we fulfill the commitment to people that already received the benefits, that are receiving the benefits. But then we need to figure out a way to phase out this program for others and move to a new system that allows them to have something because they’re not going to have anything.’” [Wall Street Journal, 7/23/15]
Carson
Koch Network Backing
The Hill: “Hubbard, Who Gave $50,000 To Walker’s Super-PAC Before He Dropped Out, Is Now Funding The Presidential Aspirations Of Fiorina, Bush, And Rubio, As Well As Chris Christie And Ben Carson.” According to The Hill, “Hubbard, who gave $50,000 to Walker’s super-PAC before he dropped out, is now funding the presidential aspirations of Fiorina, Bush and Rubio, as well as Chris Christie and Ben Carson.” [The Hill, 10/21/15]
LIBRE Initiative National Spokesperson Rachel Campos-Duffy Agreed With Ben Carson’s Comment That “There’s No War On Women,” Just A War On “What’s Inside A Woman.” According to a tweet by LIBRE Initiative national spokesperson Rachel Campos-Duffy, .@BenCarson2016 nails it: ‘There’s no war on women. There may B a war on what’s inside a woman,but there is no war on women in this country’ [Rachel Campos Duffy – Twitter, 8/29/15]
Koch Events
Gov. Rick Perry And Dr. Ben Carson Spoke At AFP’s Defending The American Dream Summit. According to The Indianapolis Star, “Other potential 2016 presidential candidates who will be speaking [at the summit] include Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Dr. Ben Carson, a columnist and retired neurosurgeon.” [Indianapolis Star, 8/25/14]
Christie
Asbury Park Press Editorial: Chris Christie “Defended The Notorious Koch Brothers While Dismissing The Validity Of Concerns About The Influence Of Undisclosed Donations And Negative Ads.” According to an editorial by the Asbury Park Press, “Last week, during a campaign stop in Arizona, ostensibly in his role as the Republican Governors Association chairman, Christie defended the notorious Koch brothers while dismissing the validity of concerns about the influence of undisclosed donations and negative ads on Arizona’s gubernatorial race as ‘silliness’ and ‘sophistry.’” [Asbury Park Press, 10/8/14]
Koch Primary
Gov. Chris Christie “Has Worked To Cultivate A Relationship” With David Koch, “Calling Him To Talk Politics And Socializing With Him, Their Wives Included.” According to the New York Times, “And Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has worked to cultivate a relationship with the younger Mr. [David] Koch, stopping by his Manhattan office, calling him to talk politics and socializing with him, their wives included.” [New York Times, 1/20/15]
New York Times: Chris Christie Attended A Private Dinner At David Koch’s Manhattan Duplex In September 2014. According to the New York Times, “At an Americans for Prosperity summit meeting in Dallas in August, both Mr. Paul and Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana, asked for and received a private meeting with David Koch. Mr. Christie was unable to make the gathering, but a month later he attended a private dinner with donors at David’s duplex on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.” [New York Times, 1/20/15]
New York Times: Gov. Chris Christie Attended A Giants-Cowboys Game In November With David Koch And Their Wives. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Christie began reaching out to David during his first run for governor. The two men spoke at least a half-dozen times last year in Mr. Christie’s capacity as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. And in November, Mr. Christie and his wife attended a Giants-Cowboys game with Mr. Koch and his wife.” [New York Times, 1/20/15]
Koch Network Support
2012
In Late 2011, David Koch “Joined A Group Of Other Business Titans To Urge New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie To Get Into The Race” For President In 2012. According to Mother Jones, “In the 2012 presidential race, the Kochs and their allies threw their weight behind [Mitt] Romney once he’d clinched the nomination, but he didn’t always appear to be their first choice. In September 2011, months after Romney had announced his candidacy, David Koch, who is an executive vice president and board member at Koch Industries, joined a group of other business titans to urge New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to get into the race. At the time, the businessmen were dubbed the Draft Christie committee.” [Mother Jones, 1/22/15]
Fiorina
Koch Primary
Reuters: The Koch Brothers Are Taking A “Serious Look” At Carly Fiorina, “According To Three Sources Close To The Brothers.” According to Reuters, “Fiorina’s show-stealing performance in a Republican presidential debate last month, and her subsequent surge in the polls, has prompted industrialists Charles and David Koch to take a ‘serious look’ at the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, according to three sources close to the brothers.” [Reuters via Raw Story, 10/4/15]
Fiorina: “I Have Known Both Of The Koch Brothers For Some Time…I Know Many Of Their Donor Network,” And I Would “Appreciate The Financial Support” Of The Koch Brothers And Network. According to the Boston Herald, “Fiorina told Boston Herald Radio she’d welcome their financial support. ‘I have known both of the Koch brothers for some time,’ said Fiorina. ‘They have been supportive of my Senate race. I know many of their donor network. … Obviously I appreciate the financial support of anyone that’s willing to give it — the Koch brothers, of course, as well as their donor network, which is extensive as you know.’” [Boston Herald, 10/5/15]
Reuters: Carly Fiorina And Sen. Marco Rubio Are Among The Candidates On The Koch Brothers’ “Short List Of Candidates” Who Are Being Considered As Recipients Of Their “$1 Billion War Chest.” According to Reuters, “She [Carly Fiorina] has now moved to the short list of candidates the Kochs may support with their reported $1 billion war chest, the sources said. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is among those on the coveted list, the sources said.” [Reuters via Raw Story, 10/4/15]
Cruz
Koch Funding
Between 2011 And 2014 Koch Industries And Its Employees Donated $23,750 To Ted Cruz’s Senate Campaign. According to Open Secrets, between 2011 and 2014 Koch Industries and its employees donated $23,750 to Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s senate campaign. [Open Secrets, Accessed 10/19/15]
Koch Primary
Sen. Ted Cruz Met With Charles Koch In October And Told Him “The Republican Party Needed A Grass-Roots Conservative Such As Himself To Take Back The White House.” According to the New York Times, “Similarly, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas popped through Wichita in October for an audience he had requested, and he told the elder Mr. [Charles] Koch that the Republican Party needed a grass-roots conservative such as himself to take back the White House.” [New York Times, 1/20/15]
David Koch: “Ted Cruz, He’s A Brilliant Guy, I Like Him Immensely.” According to Bloomberg, “‘Ted Cruz, he’s a brilliant guy, I like him immensely,’ Koch said. At the fundraiser he sat next to Cruz’s wife, Heidi, a managing director at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ‘She was great, a very smart woman.’” [Bloomberg, 8/25/14]
Sen. Ted Cruz Called Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s Attack On The Koch Brothers “An Embarrassment To This Institution.” According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Tuesday called the repeated Democratic attacks on the Koch brothers ‘an embarrassment to this institution,’ lashing out at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid during a heated speech on the Senate floor. […] ‘The majority leader has launched an unprecedented slander campaign against two private citizens,’ Cruz said, describing Reid’s regular broadsides of the Kochs ‘reprehensible.’” [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 9/9/14]
Cruz: “I Admire Charles And David Koch…They Are Businessmen Who Have Created Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs And They Have Stood Up For Free Market Principles.” “There are a bunch of Democrats who have taken as their talking point that the Koch brothers are the nexus of all evil in the world,” Cruz said, acknowledging the event’s organizers. ‘I admire Charles and David Koch,’ Cruz continued. ‘They are businessmen who have created hundreds of thousands of jobs and they have stood up for free market principles.” [Associated Press, 1/26/15]
Trump
Donald Trump Hired A Former Political Adviser To Koch Industries, Alan Cobb, To Assist With Recruiting For His Possible Presidential Campaign. According to the Washington Post, “Corey R. Lewandowski, a former director of voter registration at Americans for Prosperity, a group backed by conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch, has been asked by Trump to serve as his senior political adviser and manager for the campaign-in-waiting. Alan Cobb, a former political adviser at Koch Industries, is another Republican who has signed on with Trump and is assisting with recruitment.” [Washington Post, 2/25/15]
Donald Trump Hired Former Head Of Voter Registration For AFP, Corey Lewandowski, To Be His “Senior Political Adviser And Manager For His “Campaign-In-Waiting.” According to the Washington Post, “Corey R. Lewandowski, a former director of voter registration at Americans for Prosperity, a group backed by conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch, has been asked by Trump to serve as his senior political adviser and manager for the campaign-in-waiting. Alan Cobb, a former political adviser at Koch Industries, is another Republican who has signed on with Trump and is assisting with recruitment.” [Washington Post, 2/25/15]
Kasich
David Koch “Was A Maximum $12,155 Donor” To Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s Re-Election Campaign In 2014. According to the Columbus Dispatch, “Conservative energy conglomerate Koch Industries is underwriting the D.C. summit at which Kasich will appear. David Koch, one of the ‘Koch brothers’ prominent in political circles for the money they spend backing conservative causes and candidates, was a maximum $12,155 donor to Kasich’s re-election campaign last year.” [Columbus Dispatch, 4/8/15]
Toledo Blade Editor David Kushma: John Kasich “Signed Legislation Promoted By The Koch Brothers – Who Have Huge Holdings In Traditional Energy – That Paused Ohio’s Alternative-Energy And Energy-Efficiency Standards.” According to an opinion by Toledo Blade editor David Kushma in the Toledo Blade, “Last year, Governor [John] Kasich signed legislation promoted by the Koch brothers — who have huge holdings in traditional energy — that paused Ohio’s alternative-energy and energy-efficiency standards. Ohio was the first state to take such a step backward.” [David Kushma – Toledo Blade, 4/26/15]
Press Release Headline: “Freedom Partners Applauds Carly Fiorina And Gov. John Kasich’s Opposition To Export-Import Bank.” [Freedom Partners Press Release, 5/4/15]
Paul
Between 2011 And 2016 Koch Industries Donated $10,000 To Rand Paul’s Senate Campaign. According to Open Secrets, between 2011 and 2016 Koch Industries donated $10,000 to Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s senate campaign. [Open Secrets, Accessed 10/19/15]
New York Times: Sen. Rand Paul Met With Charles Koch And Pitched Him On His 2016 Candidacy By Arguing That “He Best Reflects The Views” Of The Koch Brothers. According to the New York Times, “When Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky went to Kansas last year to campaign for Gov. Sam Brownback, he quietly requested a private meeting with the oil billionaire Charles G. Koch in his Wichita headquarters. The senator’s pitch: Of all the 2016 Republican presidential candidates, he best reflects the views of Mr. Koch and his younger brother, David H. Koch.” [New York Times, 1/20/15]
New York Times: Sen. Rand Paul Talked With Charles Koch About Foreign Policy And Criminal Justice Reform. According to the New York Times, “When Mr. [Rand] Paul met with the elder Mr. Koch in Wichita, the two spoke about foreign policy — where Mr. Paul’s less hawkish approach most closely dovetails with the brothers’ personal views — and the senator’s ideas for overhauling the criminal justice system, another area where he and the libertarian-leaning Kochs align, according to someone with knowledge of the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.” [New York Times, 1/20/15]
Huckabee
The Founder Of American Future Fund, Nick Ryan, Announced He Would Run Mike Huckabee’s Super PAC. According to The New York Times’s First Draft, “The Mike Huckabee ‘super PAC’ has arrived. A group with the ability to raise unlimited donations to support the former Arkansas governor, who has said he is considering a second run for the presidency, has begun and will be run by a well-known Iowa operative. Nick Ryan, who worked on a ‘super PAC’ in support of Rick Santorum’s caucuses victory over Mitt Romney in Iowa in 2012, will be the president of the group, which is called Pursuing America’s Greatness. It was filed with the Federal Election Commission in March. […] Mr. Ryan’s wife, Jill Latham Ryan, who also worked on Mr. Santorum’s effort in 2012, will be part of the new political action committee as well. Mr. Ryan has effectively run other outside groups, including the American Future Fund, which he started in 2007 and which has brought in $100 million.” [First Draft via NYTimes.com, 4/2/15]
The Hill: “In Terms Of Total Money Spent” By The Koch Network, “Cruz, Walker, And Huckabee, In That Order, Received The Most, But Their Totals Are Skewed By Generous Single Donors.” According to The Hill, “The most popular presidential candidates among the Koch brothers’ conservative donor network are Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, who each received contributions from more than 12 percent of 190 donors and their families in records analyzed by The Hill. […] The most popular presidential candidates among the Koch brothers’ conservative donor network are Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, who each received contributions from more than 12 percent of 190 donors and their families in records analyzed by The Hill.” [The Hill, 10/21/15]