Billionaire conservative donor Charles Koch told the Associated Press that he will not be spending big in the presidential election. Instead his privately held industrial conglomerate Koch Industries plans to spend money on TV ads calling for voters to unite and fix the “rigged” economy together.
The ads will be part of a branding campaign by Koch Industries, according to the AP, even as they echo the populist tone of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
“We’re trying to encourage people to think about how do I succeed by helping others improve their lives” even if it involves doing things that “may not win me votes or get me a lot of money,” Koch told the AP.
Koch Industries is the second largest privately held company in the United States, according to Forbes. It is owned principally by brothers Charles and David Koch, billionaires who have donated generously to conservative and libertarian causes.
The AP reported that Koch is calling the campaign “End the Divide,” a campaign to reduce poverty. The Kochs have said they don’t plan to engage much in the presidential race, but instead will talk about issues and donate in down ballot races.
“Both the primaries and the general seems it’s more, ‘You’re the enemy, you’re evil, or you’re stupid,’ or whatever ad hominem attacks on each other,” Koch told the AP, “rather than trying to find common ground so different opposing views can learn from each other and we can find better solutions.”
