Koch-funded group vows to help Republicans in 2024 — just not Trump: report
Far-right billionaire Charles Koch's Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is still a heavy hitter in Republican politics. But its opposition to former President Donald Trump still remains despite him being the GOP's 2024 presidential nominee.
TIME magazine reported Thursday that AFP is still committing to electing Republicans across the country, and is pledging to support down-ballot GOP candidates in closely contested House and Senate races that could determine which party controls Congress. However, when it comes to Trump, AFP is taking a hands-off approach after former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley's campaign — which it endorsed in November — flamed out.
"[A]t the start of 2023, their position on Trump was not really a point of discussion. The deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was finally a step too far. The chief of the network’s main political arm, Americans For Prosperity, told her patrons that they were ready to back an alternative Republican who showed promise of winning," wrote TIME's Philip Elliott.
READ MORE: Koch network pledges 'full support' of 'unmatched grassroots army' to stop Trump in GOP primary
"The group ultimately plowed more than $32 million into former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and another $10 million in broader anti-Trump efforts before throwing in the towel," he continued. "The hopes of reclaiming the party from this gatecrasher were dashed and they had to live with Trump as their standard bearer."
After writing off supporting the GOP nominee, the Koch-funded group is now resigned to "be a check against unified Democratic control of Washington." TIME reported that the group hopes to prevent a "progressive sweep of D.C." in November by pouring money into roughly two dozen House districts to keep the lower chamber of Congress in Republican hands, and into several key Senate races in an effort to put the GOP back in the driver's seat.
AFP is also deploying its massive grassroots army to contact voters in red states where Republicans hope to oust incumbent Democrats. According to TIME, the group has knocked on approximately five million doors as a part of its work to put Republicans back in charge of the Senate — especially in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-Montana), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) are all in tight races in states Trump is expected to win by a comfortable margin. And because Democrats have already written off the outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin's (I-West Virginia) seat, the GOP needs just one of those three seats to flip in order to reclaim the majority, as Democrats currently have a narrow 51-49 majority.
READ MORE: 'I'll vote for Biden': Top Koch group official rebels against Nikki Haley endorsement
Keeping the speaker's gavel in Rep. Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) hands will be a tougher task, as he has a razor-thin single-digit majority and can only afford two defections from his party in order to pass legislation without Democratic support, assuming full attendance in the chamber. Control of the House will likely come down to several swing districts in deep-blue states like California and New York, where freshman Republican lawmakers are running tough reelection campaigns.
AFP has identified 17 Republicans in congressional districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020 to support, along with five Democrats to oppose in districts that Trump won. As of August 12, TIME reports that AFP Action — the group's campaign arm — has already spent a whopping $78 million on House and Senate races. That eclipses the $70 million the group spent in the 2022 midterm elections, and the $48 million it spent in 2020.
Click here to read TIME's report in full.
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