Charles Koch

Dear Commons Community,

Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative U.S. political network led by billionaire Charles Koch has raised over $70 million to spend on political races with a key goal of stopping former President Donald Trump from winning the 2024 Republican nomination.

This group, which pushes for tax cuts and less government regulation, is set to dive into the Republican presidential primaries for the first time in its two-decade history.  See ad below that this group has sponsored.

Koch, ranked among the richest people in the world, compiled his wealth as an executive at his family’s company Koch Industries, a conglomerate involved in fossil fuels, commodities and other businesses.

It was unclear what proportion of the $70 million raised by the Americans for Prosperity Action, will go directly to tackling Trump. But the group has made clear that beating him in the primaries is a top priority, as they think he would lose the November 2024 election to President Biden, who beat Trump in 2020.  As reported by Reuters.

“There is a clear sense of urgency around choosing candidates who can win,” an official with the Americans for Prosperity advocacy group said.

“Even a significant number of President Trump’s owns supporters are concerned about his electability and open to an alternative.”

News of the $70 million raised was first reported by the New York Times on Thursday.

The Koch-backed network of political organizations was founded by Charles and his brother David Koch, who died in 2019. It now includes a larger group of donors. Historically, they have spent millions of dollars backing like-minded Republican candidates for office.

The Koch network has yet to back a candidate, but has joined other big Republican donors in scrambling to try to defeat Trump. The real estate businessman and former reality TV show host has a 20 percentage point lead over his nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in a crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls.

Conservative donors fear Trump, whose divisive and freewheeling governing style alienated more moderate Republicans, will lose again to Biden.

DeSantis, once seen as the most likely to beat Trump, has not seen a big poll bounce since launching his candidacy in late May and is languishing a distant second.

The Koch network intends to make an endorsement before the Iowa caucus in early 2024, the AFP official said.

We wish Koch and his network well!

Tony

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