WASHINGTON - Senate Majority PAC, an outside group that supports Senate Democrats, is preparing a $3 million ad campaign against Charles and David Koch, the libertarian-minded billionaire brothers who support conservative causes and have poured millions of dollars into the 2014 midterm elections.
The Senate Majority PAC effort will last for roughly two weeks and span five states - Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan and North Carolina. To combat the Koch brothers, the $3 million buy will nearly double what Senate Majority PAC has spent on all television ads so far this cycle, about $3.6 million.
The group is spending about $500,000 in each of the states except North Carolina, where it is spending $1 million. Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina is considered among the most vulnerable Democrats this election.
Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed group, has spent up to 10 times as much as Senate Majority PAC and has quickly become one of the biggest players in this year’s election. The group’s goal is not merely to influence particular issues or races but to win voters over to its broad philosophy: Big-government solutionsare risky and ineffective.
Democrats have begun attacking the Koch brothers directly, aggressively focusing attention on the publicity-shy siblings and portraying them as rich villains who are trying to destroy progressive politics.
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has repeatedly attacked the Kochs on the Senate floor, calling them “anti-American.” Earlier this month, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee launched a digital campaign called “The GOP is addicted to Koch” (pronounced coke).
Senate Majority PAC said its donors are increasingly eager to fight against the influx of Koch millions. Democratic polling shows that linking Republican candidates to the policies of the Koch brothers and Koch-backed groups will make voters more likely to discount attack ads underwritten by the Kochs.
“The Koch brothers are propping up Republican Senate candidates across the country who will advance the Koch agenda at the expense of middle-class families and seniors,” said Ty Matsdorf, campaign director for Senate Majority PAC. “We are launching this aggressive campaign to continue our efforts to make sure voters know exactly where these candidates stand, and who they will be fighting for.”
Levi Russell, director ofpublic affairs for Americans for Prosperity, said Democrats are attacking the group because of its opposition to President Barack Obama’s health-care law.
“Harry Reid and his allies still refuse to explain or defend their support for Obamacare despite how the law is wreaking havoc on the lives of Americans from all walks of life,” Russell said. “Instead, they choose to attack AFP for pointing out that the law is leading to canceled plans, higher insurance premiums and less access to doctors. Desperate attacks like these don’t resonate with the American people, who can see firsthand the harm Obamacare is causing.”
The 30-second spot from Senate Majority PAC going up in Colorado urges voters to “take a closer look at those against Mark Udall,” the Democratic senator up for re-election in Colorado.
“Those behind the attacks - insurance companies and out-of-state billionaires, spending a million supporting Cory Gardner,” says the ad’s narrator. “Why? Gardner would end Medicare’s guarantee, giving billions in profits to insurance companies but forcing seniors to pay $6,000 more a year.”
The ad concludes: “The more we learn about Congressman Gardner, the more troubling it is.”
Front Section, Pages 7 on 03/22/2014