A national political operation organized by the billionaire Koch brothers is committing nearly $1 billion to the looming 2016 presidential race in an unprecedented effort to help boost conservative candidates.
Guests at a meeting in Rancho Mirage, Calif., hosted by the Koch-tied Freedom Partners, confirmed to Fox News that the $889 million plan was unveiled during the three-day conference. The plan, to be financed by various groups backed by Charles and David Koch, would aim to boost candidates with an emphasis on free-market platforms and the advancement of oil and gas. The stunning figure would come close to what the candidates themselves are expected to spend in 2016. According to The Washington Post, it would be more than double what the network raised in 2012. The influx of funding would go into a massive field network, building on a strategy that was immensely effective during the 2014 midterms. In the election, which saw Senate control flip to the Republicans, conservative candidates like Iowa’s Joni Ernst and Arkansas’ Tom Cotton (both of whom were at the Palm Springs-area conference) were aided in their successful campaigns by Freedom Works and other Koch-backed political organizations. The new operation will focus on improved data-driven technology, overall media strategy and a ground game meant to rival the Democrats’ in 2016 – and which could be similar in size to the Republicans’.
