Powerful conservative-leaning Koch network vows not to support Trump in 2020

• The Koch political network declined to back President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and according to The Washington Post, plans to stay away from Trump again in 2020.
• The conservative-leaning collective, started by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, is comprised of advocacy groups and roughly 500 moneyed donors, according to TIME.
• While the Koch network doesn't always align with Trump, especially on trade and immigration, it did back his 2017 tax plan and the criminal-justice reform bill that passed in 2018.
• However, the Koch-backed group, Americans for Prosperity will be spending during the 2020 election, supporting senators, House members, and policies as it sees fit.

The Koch political network declined to back President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and according to The Washington Post, the influential political apparatus plans to stay away from Trump again in 2020.

Started by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, and now led by Charles (David stepped away due to health concerns), the network is comprised of advocacy groups and hundreds of moneyed donors, according to TIME. And it has a history of funding conservative-leaning causes and candidates. The network is also known for being a comprehensive political machine - with its own voter data, field operation, and ability to mobilize voters.

According to The Post, the network told donors that it would not be supporting Trump, to the chagrin of some donors.

The decision to avoid supporting Trump in the 2020 presidential race could be due to several factors. In terms of policy, the Koch network doesn't always align with Trump, especially his stance on trade and immigration. The collective did back the Trump administration's 2017 tax plan and the criminal-justice reform bill that passed in 2018.

The network is also allegedly trying to take a less partisan approach.

Some of the network's core policy goals include addressing "income inequality, education initiatives, an overhaul of the criminal-justice system and a permanent solution for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, known as 'dreamers,'" The Post reports.

However, just because the network isn't backing Trump's reelection campaign, it doesn't mean it will be ignoring 2020 altogether. A spokesman for Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-funded group, told The Post it will "support policy champions in Senate, House and state races, build broad-based policy coalitions, and to launch a major new initiative to fight poverty in America."