The Koch brothers are planning their 'biggest, boldest' effort ever for 2016
Americans for Prosperity, the Kochs' primary political arm, reportedly used the memo and other briefing documents to tell donors that the group will launch a campaign described as "beyond the biggest, boldest, broadest effort AFP has ever undertaken. "
"The plan comes with a $125 million 2015 budget for Americans for Prosperity," Politico's Ken Vogel wrote. "It calls for the creation of new chapters in Alabama, Idaho, North Dakota and Utah - continuing a move by the group to invest in deep red states where it can focus on pushing aggressive reforms to scale back union power and government regulation, rather than winning or protecting GOP majorities."
Vogel said the document was marked with words like "confidential," "privileged," and "Please do not disclose, discuss, or disseminate the contents herewith."
The AFP's $125 million plan for 2015 is just a fraction of the $889 million the Koch brothers reportedly plan to spend throughout the election cycle. As a result, the Kochs and their network of conservative, rich donors could play a decisive role in the race to the White House by funding super PACs and running their own voter outreach operations.
Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that David Koch said he and his brother support Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) for president, but would not be involving their political organization into the GOP primary. Koch subsequently said that report was wrong, however, and the brothers are said to be waiting to decide whether to intervene in the primary. Along with Walker, they are reportedly also considering backing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida).
According to Politico, however, AFP claims it will not be focused on the presidential race and will also be focused on other contests during this election cycle.
"We're focused on advancing a long-term shift at every level of government towards a culture of freedom. And we're not just fighting for the fun of it - we intend to win," the organization's president, Tim Phillips, is quoted saying.
And AFP's documents reportedly say, "While most organizations focus only on short bursts of activity around elections or legislative sessions, AFP is investing in creating a continuous culture of freedom, year-after-year."
AFP did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider on the report.