The Koch brothers and their main political organization Americans for Prosperity spent more than $122 million in their attempt to influence the outcome of the 2012 election. Now, new reports show that the Kochs are planning to spend more than $125 million through AFP to try to buy this year’s midterm elections.
This shocking amount of spending is unprecedented for a secretive outside group controlled by two extreme conservative billionaires in a midterm cycle and is expected to rival even that of the national party committees. With this much money poisoning the electoral well, voters need to know what’s at stake
Indeed, the Koch brothers’ plan to buy the election is well underway, with AFP having already spent $35 million on ads attacking Democrats in contested Senate races this cycle.
In the last election, conservative outside groups spent more than $800 million attempting to defeat President Obama and secure Republican majorities in both houses of Congress. Led by Charles and David Koch and Americans for Prosperity, this conservative donor class’ agenda is “convincing Americans that big government is bad government,” according to the New York Times.
Keeping track of the enormous sums of money being spent by the Kochs and other conservative mega donors to advance their right-wing agenda is central to uncovering their modus operandi.
Conservative Transparency is an interactive database that allows you to do just that. We’ll continue to update the database throughout this election cycle, by combining publicly available donor information with hard-to-find tax documentation for the conservative foundations and nonprofits attempting to influence the outcomes of this fall’s elections.
Click here to learn more about Conservative Transparency.
Americans For Prosperity Was Founded By David Koch. According to FactCheck.org, “Founded by billionaire businessman and conservative/libertarian political activist David Koch, Americans for Prosperity has emerged as one of the most influential conservative issue advocacy groups on the national and state political scene. A major force behind the Tea Party movement, AFP seeks to support free markets and entrepreneurship by advocating lower taxes and limited government spending and regulation.” [FactCheck.org, 10/10/11]
David Koch Is Chairman Of Americans For Prosperity Foundation. According to Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s website, which lists David Koch as “Chairman,” “David Koch is the executive vice president and a member of the board of directors for Koch Industries, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas. He helped found Americans For Prosperity, and also serves on the board of directors for the Reason Foundation and the CATO Institute. David was the Libertarian Party candidate for vice president of the United States in 1980. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering from MIT.” [AmericansForProsperityFoundation.com, accessed 3/17/14]
Koch Industries Executive VP Richard Fink Is A Director Of Americans For Prosperity Foundation. According to Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s website, which lists Richard Fink as “Director,” “Dr. Richard Fink is an executive vice president and member of the board of directors of Koch Industries, Inc. He is a director for several Koch companies including Flint Hills Resources, LLC, a refining and petrochemical company; and INVISTA, a global fibers, resins and intermediates company. Richard is also president of the Charles G. Koch and Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundations and a director of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.” [AmericansForProsperityFoundation.com, accessed 3/17/14]
Koch Industries Executive VP Richard Fink Is A Director Of Americans For Prosperity. According to Americans for Prosperity’s website, which lists Richard Fink as “Director,” “Dr. Richard Fink is an executive vice president and member of the board of directors of Koch Industries, Inc. He is a director for several Koch companies including Flint Hills Resources, LLC, a refining and petrochemical company; and INVISTA, a global fibers, resins and intermediates company. Richard is also president of the Charles G. Koch and Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundations and a director of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.” [Americans for Prosperity.org, accessed 3/17/14]
Koch-Backed “Freedom Partners” Contributed 32.3 Million To Americans For Prosperity In 2012. According to Politico, “The group, Freedom Partners, and its president, Marc Short, serve as an outlet for the ideas and funds of the mysterious Koch brothers,” and contributed 32.3 million to Americans for Prosperity in 2012. [Politico, 9/11/13]
Koch-Backed “Center To Protect Patient Rights” Has Contributed $15.8 Million To Americans For Prosperity Since 2009. According to Form 990s filed with the IRS, the Center to Protect Patient Rights has given $15,791,079 to Americans for Prosperity since 2009. [Center to Protect Patient Rights IRS Form 990s, 2009-12]
Koch-Backed TC4 Trust Contributed Nearly $1.4 Million To Americans For Prosperity Between 2011 And 2012. According to tax records, TC4 Trust gave $1,391,800 to Americans for Prosperity between 2011 and 2012. [IRS Form 990, 2011-2012]