For years, Senator Kelly Ayotte has done the bidding of the Koch brothers in hopes they’ll provide millions in cover on the airwaves for her tough reelection battle this year. And just a few months ago, it looked like she was going to cash in all of her hard work on behalf of the Kochs: the Koch network boasted that reelecting Ayotte was one of their top priorities in 2016, AFP went up with $1.2 million in ads for her, and David Koch even headlined a fundraiser for her in October — all because the Kochs can’t afford to lose someone who does their bidding in Washington.
Time and time again, Senator Ayotte has eagerly done what’s best for the billionaire brothers ahead of what’s best for New Hampshire — picking up an 82% lifetime score of voting with the Kochs — opposing raising the minimum wage, protecting tens of billions of dollars in special tax breaks for big oil companies, voting to roll back Wall Street reform, and more.
But today, POLITICO reports that the Kochs are sending a tepid message to Senator Ayotte that it might not be enough:
“It’s ironic that she is being hit on all sides for her votes, but that’s to be expected when you abandon principle and try to play politics,” said Levi Russell, a spokesman for AFP
Reality check: for years, when the Kochs said jump, Senator Ayotte said how high and was a longtime guaranteed vote for their agenda. While the Koch brand is incredibly toxic in New Hampshire, they aren’t going to leave one of their puppets, like Senator Ayotte, out in the cold. When the Kochs have a puppet in the Senate, they’ll pay any price to keep them there — our bet is the Granite State hasn’t seen the last of Charles and David Koch propping up Senator Ayotte.