“You’d think we could have more influence,” lamented Charles Koch in early January. But even last night, an otherwise ordinary Tuesday in April, the Koch brothers had two not-insignificant political wins.

In Wisconsin, incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley — appointed by Koch stooge Scott Walker, it should be noted — with likely Koch assistance defeated an “infinitely more qualified” challenger. Bradley benefited from significant ad spending by Wisconsin Alliance for Reform, a dark money group with extensive Koch ties. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Koch-tied group spent an estimated total of $1,847,140 on ads over the course of the race. The Sunlight Foundation reports that the Wisconsin Alliance for Reform ads “attacked [Bradley’s opponent] Kloppenburg for protecting ‘criminals,’ including in one ad about a child sexual assault victim that the group pulled after the girl’s family complained.” As far as Koch links, the Sunlight Foundation notes that the registrant of the Wisconsin Alliance for Reform website is a former Americans for Prosperity director and that the group’s treasurer was similarly employed by a Koch-affiliated organization.

Some 3,000 miles to the northwest, the Kochs had another victory in Anchorage, Alaska. The Kochs’ Americans for Prosperity sought to increase its influence at the local level by working to get a tax cap initiative on the ballot in Anchorage then fighting for its passage. AFP’s efforts paid off, with 60 percent of voters ultimately voting in support of the tax cap measure that would set “more rigid limits on the growth of the city’s property taxes.” In typical Koch fashion, AFP took a victory lap: the group’s Alaska director praised the initiative’s passage as a success for “public safety, vital services.”

The Kochs publicly lament their lack of political influence, but on any given day they’re spending serious money influencing elections and advancing their selfish agenda — increasingly so at the state and local levels.

Background:

Koch-Tied Wisconsin Alliance For Reform Spent Over $1 Million Protecting Walker-Appointed Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley

Brennan Center For Justice: The Wisconsin Alliance For Reform Spent $1,847,140 On The 2016 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election As Of April 5, 2016. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, “One seat is up for election on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2016. Justice Rebecca Bradley, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2015 following the death of Justice N. Patrick Crooks, is being challenged by Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg and Judge Joe Donald for a full 10-year term. […] Estimated spending by Wisconsin Alliance for Reform: $1,847,140” [Brennan Center for Justice, 4/5/16]

 

CMD: Though The Wisconsin Alliance For Reform Claimed It Would Stop Running A Misleading Ad When One Of The Families Involved In A Child Sexual Abuse Case Called It “Political Slander,” The Ad Was Still Running On TV As Of March 30, 2016. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, “WAR claimed on March 16 that it would stop running another misleading ad on child sexual abuse after one of the families involved in the case complained that it was “political slander,” but as of March 30 the ad was still running on TV and available online.” [Center for Media and Democracy, 4/1/16]

 

• PolitiFact Ruled Another Ad Accusing Kloppenburg Of Giving A Sex Offender A New Hearing Using A Technicality “Mostly False.” According to PolitiFact, “The Wisconsin Alliance for Reform says Kloppenburg agreed to use a technicality to give a convicted sex offender a new hearing because ‘he didn’t understand the charge.’ Kloppenburg agreed with two other appeals court judges in ordering that the sex offender get a hearing. They did not rule, however, that the offender didn’t understand the charge he had pleaded guilty to. Rather, they ruled there should be hearing on the fundamental question of whether he did understand what he had pled to. For a statement that contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, our rating is Mostly False.” [PolitiFact, 3/23/16]

 

Center For Media And Democracy: The Wisconsin Alliance For Reform Was Registered In April 2015 By Former AFP Associate Director Lorri Pickens, Who Had “Ties To The Largest-Ever Campaign Finance Violation In Wisconsin History.” According to the Center for Media and Democracy, “Once again, the biggest spender in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race isn’t one of the candidates. It’s a little-know dark money group, which is keeping its funders secret from Wisconsinites. […] The secret money group, Wisconsin Alliance for Reform (WAR), was registered by Lorri Pickens, a Koch network operative with ties to the largest-ever campaign finance violation in Wisconsin history. […] WAR’s website was registered in April 2015 by Lorri Pickens, a former associate director of state operations for David Koch’s Americans for Prosperity (AFP) astroturf organization.” [Center for Media and Democracy,4/1/16]

 

• CMD: Pickens Worked For The Sam Adams Alliance And The Lucy Burns Institute, Which Had Ties To Wisconsin Club For Growth Director Eric O’Keefe And His Wife, Leslie Graves. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, “A well-connected right-wing operative with a long history in Wisconsin, Pickens has previously worked with the Sam Adams Alliance and the Lucy Burns Institute institutions tied to WCFG Director Eric O’Keefe and his wife, Leslie Graves.” [Center for Media and Democracy, 4/1/16]

 

Wisconsin Alliance For Reform’s Treasurer Was A Field Director At American Majority, Which Hosted Trainings With Americans For Prosperity. According to the Sunlight Foundation, “WAR’s treasurer is Nate Nelson, who is also a field director at American Majority, an organization that trains conservative candidates across the country. American Majority has hosted trainings with Americans for Prosperity and Young Americans for Liberty, a partner organization of the Charles Koch Institute.  ” [Sunlight Foundation, 3/24/16]

 

The Wisconsin Gazette Called Challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg “Infinitely More Qualified” Than Wisconsin Supreme Court Incumbent Rebecca Bradley. According to the Wisconsin Gazette, “The wages of Rebecca Bradley’s ‘sins’ have caught up with her in a big way. But will they lead to the death of her career — and will they further corrode the reputation of her political handler, Gov. Scott Walker? Wisconsinites will get part of the answer on April 5, when Bradley, currently serving as an interim Supreme Court justice, faces her infinitely more qualified challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg at the polls for a full 10-year term on the bench.” [Wisconsin Gazette, 3/17/16]

 

The Koch-Backed Wisconsin Club For Growth Spent $167,000 On TV Ads Supporting Rebecca Bradley For The Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Which She Had Been Appointed To On An Interim Basis In 2012. According to the Wisconsin Gazette, “The April 5 election to fill a Wisconsin Supreme Court vacancy is no competition at all when it comes to experience, knowledge and integrity. Challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg towers in all three respects above opponent Rebecca Bradley, an interim incumbent. […] Before 2012, Bradley had never even served on the bench. That’s the year Walker appointed her to a position on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Armed with the advantage of incumbency and right-wing money, including $167,000 for a television blitz from the Koch-brothers-backed group Wisconsin Club for Growth, Bradley held on to the position in an election. It was the first and last judicial election she’s ever won.” [Wisconsin Gazette, 3/8/16]

Kochs Behind Efforts To Pass The Anchorage Tax Cap Initiative

The Alaska GOP Advertised AFP Headquarters As The Site Of Anchorage Tax Cap Petition Efforts Targeting “The Mayor And Certain Tax-Happy Assembly Members.”According to the Alaska GOP, “THE TAX-MAN: With Ethan Berkowitz as mayor, the Anchorage homeowner is getting hosed. The mayor and certain tax-happy Assembly members have found a sleight-of-hand to defeat the tax cap, and are about to make things a lot worse for property owners. Organizers of the Anchorage Tax Cap Petition must collect 8,000 signatures by Feb. 3and are looking for volunteers to help. You can check out a petition book at Americans For Prosperity headquarters, 431 E. 7th Ave. Suite 103, Anchorage, 907-841-3274. Each booklet has lines for 150 signatures — and they all have to be from Anchorage. This is a sprint and organizers are calling for all hands on deck.” [Alaska GOP, 1/27/16]

 

Headline: “With Anchorage Tax Cap Initiative, Americans For Prosperity Expands Local Role.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 1/30/16]

 

After Less Than Two Years In Anchorage, AFP Was “Demonstrating How It Plans To Play A Larger Role In Local Politics.” According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “The efforts were mostly coordinated by the Alaska chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the Virginia-based advocacy organization founded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers. Through the initiative, Americans for Prosperity — which opened an Anchorage office less than two years ago — is demonstrating how it plans to play a larger role in local politics as it promotes smaller government and lower taxes.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 1/30/16]

 

• AFP-AK “Mainly Coordinated” Efforts To Put A Tax Cap Initiative On Anchorage’s April 2016 Ballot.According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “With a deadline fast approaching, supporters of an Anchorage tax cap initiative were racing last week to collect enough signatures to put the measure on April’s city ballot. At least 10 businesses in Anchorage and Eagle River had copies of petitions. Volunteers went to grocery stores and malls to gather thousands of names.  The efforts were mostly coordinated by the Alaska chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the Virginia-based advocacy organization founded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 1/30/16]

 

• Anchorage Had A Tax Cap In Place, But Initiative Supporters Were Hoping To Reverse An October 2015 Vote By The Anchorage Assembly That Changed The Starting Point For Calculating It.According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “The Anchorage tax cap is still in place, but initiative supporters are hoping to reverse an October 2015 vote by the Anchorage Assembly that changed the starting point for calculating it. The change, which set the base for the calculation as the amount levied in the previous year by the Assembly, instead of the amount actually collected in the current year, allowed the city to collect over $1 million more in taxes — and opponents say the increase in taxing capacity will carry forward each year.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 1/30/16]

 

AFP-AK Director Jeremy Price: After An Informal Group Including Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan Filed An Application For The Initiative, No Central Organization Emerged To Help Coordinate Signature-Gathering, Which Was When AFP Stepped In. According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “But the October vote quickly became a rallying point for conservatives who said it undermined the intent of the cap. An initiative application to amend the city charter and undo the change was filed Jan. 5, and approved for the ballot nearlytwo weeks later. An informal group, including former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, stepped up to file the application for the initiative. But no central organization emerged to help coordinate signature-gathering, Price said. That’s when Americans for Prosperity stepped in.  ‘We see ourselves as taking those opportunities to help move the ball,’ Price said.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 1/30/16]

 

Price Suggested AFP Might Let Voters Know Which Assembly Members Voted In Favor Of The Tax Cap Change. According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “Price said he expects the group to look more to state issues rather than local ones in the coming months. But he suggested that Americans for Prosperity might want to let voters know which Assembly members who voted in favor of the tax cap change. For now, however, he said the focus is on gathering signatures for the initiative — their goal is 8,000 by Tuesday.” [Alaska Dispatch News,1/30/16]

 

Price: Local Chapters Pick Their Own Causes To Support And Then The National Network Provides Money And Resources. According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “The chapter opened its office in downtown Anchorage in summer 2014. There’s a quote from Ronald Reagan painted on the wall in the conference room: ‘When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.’ Five people work in the office, Price said. Price, a native of Salcha, 33 miles southeast of Fairbanks, has worked in the offices of Rep. Don Young and Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Local chapters pick their own causes to support, Price said. The national network provides the money and resources. ‘We naturally think government should be small, and taxes should be limited,’ Price said. ‘The (Anchorage) tax cap was a great idea … we don’t want to see it diluted.’” [Alaska Dispatch News, 1/30/16]

 

• Price Said He Expected AFP To Look More To State Issues Rather Than Local Ones In The Coming Months.According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “Price said he expects the group to look more to state issues rather than local ones in the coming months. But he suggested that Americans for Prosperity might want to let voters know which Assembly members who voted in favor of the tax cap change. For now, however, he said the focus is on gathering signatures for the initiative — their goal is 8,000 by Tuesday.” [Alaska Dispatch News,1/30/16]

 

AFP-AK’s Coordinated Signature-Gathering Efforts Garnered Nearly 11,000 Signatures, About Twice The Required Amount, To Get The Anchorage Tax Cap Initiative Measure On The April Ballot. According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “Supporters of an Anchorage tax cap initiative said Wednesday they gathered nearly 11,000 signatures to put the measure on the April ballot — about twice the amount required. Former Mayor Dan Sullivan and former Assemblyman Don Smith, who authored the tax cap three decades ago, turned in the signature booklets to the city clerk’s office Wednesday afternoon. The signature-gathering efforts, coordinated in part by the Alaska branch of the national conservative advocacy organization Americans for Prosperity, started Jan. 18. ‘It was an amazing effort, in just a couple weeks’ time, to get over double what was needed,’ Sullivan said shortly after turning in the signature booklets.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 2/3/16]

 

AFP-AK Announced It Would “Go To Work To Educate The People Of Anchorage On The Importance Of Restoring The Tax Cap” After The Petition Gathering Effort It Helped To Coordinate Was Certified. According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “An initiative to lower Anchorage’s tax cap by changing the way it’s calculated will go before voters in the city election on April 5.  The city clerk’s office certified the petition this week after supporters collected nearly 11,000 signatures. The Alaska chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the national conservative advocacy organization that has played a role in coordinating the effort, announced the news in a statement Thursday. ‘Our organization will now go to work to educate the people of Anchorage on the importance of restoring the tax cap,’ Jeremy Price, executive director of Alaska AFP, said in the statement.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 2/11/16]

 

For Weeks Heading Into The April 5^th Vote On Proposition 8, AFP-AK Contacted Voters About The Issue, Seeking To Overturn A “Loophole” They Argued Undermined The Intent Of The Tax Cap And Could Open The Door To Bigger Tax Hikes In The Future.According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “Anchorage’s current mayor is locked in a debate with his predecessors about how much the city’s limit on property taxes can grow from year to year, the focus of an initiative on the April 5 city ballot. With Proposition 8, a group led by former Mayor Dan Sullivan is seeking to amend city charter — essentially the city’s constitution — and overturn an ordinance passed last fall by the Anchorage Assembly that loosened limits on the growth of the tax cap. Sullivan, conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity in Alaska and other allies say the current Assembly created a ‘loophole’ that undermines the intent of the cap and could open the door to bigger tax hikes in the future. They want voters to pass Proposition 8 and return to a more rigid interpretation of the tax cap. […] Meanwhile, a poll conducted by Dittman Research earlier this month found that Anchorage voters were largely unaware of the proposition. In recent weeks, Americans for Prosperity has been operating a phone bank out of its Anchorage office and calling voters about the issue.” [Alaska Dispatch News, 3/31/16]

 

AFP-AK Director Jeremy Price Applauded The Passage Of The Tax Cap Initiative: “This Forces The Assembly To Prioritize Spending On What’s Most Important. That’s Public Safety, Vital Services.” According to the Alaska Dispatch News, “With 98 percent of precincts reporting in Tuesday night’s election, Anchorage voters favored a ballot initiative that puts more rigid limits on the growth of the city’s property taxes, and also approved a tax on retail marijuana sales. By 11 p.m., more than 60 percent of voters favored Proposition 8, which will overturn an Assembly decision in October that loosened limits on the growth of the tax cap. […] Conservative group Americans for Prosperity’s Alaska branch also supported Prop. 8. ‘This forces the Assembly to prioritize spending on what’s most important,’ said Jeremy Price, AFP director in Alaska. ‘That’s public safety, vital services.’” [Alaska Dispatch News, 4/5/16]

Kochs Disappointed With Lack Of Influence

Charles Koch Said That The Koch Priorities Don’t “Seem To Faze” The GOP Presidential Candidates Much, And Added That “You’d Think We Could Have More Influence.” According to the Financial Times, “The Kochs’ political machine has presented all the candidates with a list of issues it wants on the agenda but, says Koch, ‘it doesn’t seem to faze them much. You’d think we could have more influence.’” [Financial Times, 1/7/16]

Charles Koch Said That The Koch Network Has Been Disappointed With The Republicans They Helped Elect, So Their 2016 Involvement Will Likely Focus On Praising Or Criticizing Specific Position Points. According to the American Bridge transcript of a Salem Media Group interview of Charles Koch on The Mike Gallagher show with host Mike Gallagher, [GALLAGHER:] If Donald Trump becomes the nominee, do you support him? [KOCH:] Well, we’ve been disappointed in that last few years, we’ve helped elect quite a number of Republicans, and the great majority of them haven’t lived up to what they promised. They’ve said one thing, and done another. So our involvement, most likely, in the 2016 elections, not only the presidential but all the way down the line, will be to communicate. Try to get people to have the truth on what policies each candidate will push, and then give our opinion on whether they’ll make people’s lives better or worse, and compliment them when they have a policy that we believe will improve people’s lives and criticize them when they have one that will just advance more corporate welfare and harm for the people at large, particularly the disadvantaged.” [Salem Media Group, 2/26/16]