United States of Kochs

Kochs to Play Big in 2016—$1 Billion Big - Bloomberg Politics: "The political network led by the Koch brothers aims to pump nearly $1 billion into the 2016 presidential race, an unambiguous signal that the powerful Republican donors aren't backing down.

The fundraising goal of $889 million was announced Monday at a summit of 450 wealthy donors and small-government activists in Palm Springs, Calif., an attendee said.  It comes a day after the group hosted what was tantamount to the first debate in the Republican primary campaign, with Senators Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz regaling the private audience for 80 minutes Sunday night.

Taken together, the panel of presidential hopefuls and eye-popping fundraising goal show that billionaire energy executives Charles and David Koch have no interest in shying away from politics, even after being denounced on the Senate floor by then-Leader Harry Reid as "un-American" for secretly steering money into politics.

The attendee said the fundraising goal is meant in part as a statement that the Koch-funded groups and their donors aren't intimidated by Reid.

If achieved, the sum would approach the amount 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney spent trying to get elected."



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