The influential Koch Brothers hope to use their large national fundraising network to support conservative candidates in competitive races in 2018, many of which could decide the face of Wisconsin’s political landscape.
Americans for Prosperity, the political advocacy group funded by the billionaires David and Charles Koch, has already pledged to spend $400 million to give Republican candidates an edge in a potentially difficult election year.
The group has already contributed $20 million toward selling the recently passed GOP Tax Cuts and Job Act to a skeptical public.
Now, after a weekend conference, the brothers and the network’s 550 other donors plan to spend upwards of $400 millions toward conservative candidacies in 14 senate seats and 15 gubernatorial races in such state contests as Illinois, Florida, Nevada, Missouri and, namely, Wisconsin.
The brothers also backed former state Rep. Adam Jarchow, R-Balsam Lake, in his unsuccessful bid for the state Senate, the first state-level race the brothers had supported.
Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign, which already brags a large fundraising advantage over his rivals, stands to benefit greatly from the network’s donors, who spent upwards of six figures in TV ads, “asking Wisconsinites to thank Governor Scott Walker for keeping his promises to cut taxes and balance the state budget.”
The group will also likely support state Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, in her effort to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
After Baldwin’s decision to vote against the GOP tax plan, the group issued statements shaming her decision to vote in
Baldwin responded to her opponents’ fundraising effort with one of her own, using the Koch Brothers’ spending to encourage Democratic donations.
“Tammy is a go-to target of special interest groups — already they’ve spent more against her than all of the other Democratic Senators up for reelection combined,” the letter said. “Now it looks like a lot more cash is going to come flowing into Wisconsin from the Koch network. Tammy doesn’t kowtow to large corporations and millionaires and billionaires, and it’s becoming clear that they’re going to spend whatever it takes to replace her.”
