Charles Koch, half of the Republican mega-donor duo Koch brothers, said that contrary to an earlier report, he and his brother had not settled on donating directly to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
Koch said Walker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Sens. Ted Cruz (TX), Rand Paul (KY) and Marco Rubio (FL) could all get his support. All three senators have announced their candidacy for president. Bush and Walker haven’t jumped into the field yet but are expected to roll out their respective campaigns soon. Koch told USA Today all five Republicans have “a good chance of getting elected.”
His comments follow a report in The New York Times which said that said the brothers signaled to donors that they would be donating directly to Walker in the primary. Koch’s new comments suggest that while Walker has had the support of the Koch brothers in the past, he’s not assured it in the primary. Donors to the Koch network have also signaled interest in Rubio.
“What we’ve told them all is that right now, we’re not supporting anyone,” Koch added. “We’re telling them that if they want our support, one way to get it is articulating a good message to help Americans get a better understanding and a better appreciation of how certain policies…will benefit them and will benefit all America.”
The Kochs have said they plan on spending a staggering $900 million in the 2016 election cycle. Support from the donors either directly or through Koch-funded groups like Americans for Prosperity would be a boon either in the primary or general election.
Democrats have fretted that there’s no comparable funder on the left that can match the funding heft of the Koch brothers.
