--- title: Stealth Chris Christie Group Attacks Marco Rubio description: As New Hampshirites prepare to vote in their state’s Republican presidential primary, allies of Chris Christie have launched an 11th-hour, “dark money” attack on Marco Rubio. canonical: https://time.com/4214038/new-hampshire-chris-christie-marco-rubio-campaign-ads/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-09T17:05:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:07.600Z article:section: Politics og:title: Stealth Christie Group Attacks Rubio in 11th Hour og:description: As New Hampshire voters head to the polls. og:url: https://time.com/4214038/new-hampshire-chris-christie-marco-rubio-campaign-ads/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f9bc67c88e4eef8/69887cd23c163960dd45bf1a/chris-christ-emarco-rubio.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio debate at the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stealth Christie Group Attacks Rubio in 11th Hour twitter:description: As New Hampshire voters head to the polls. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8f9bc67c88e4eef8/69887cd23c163960dd45bf1a/chris-christ-emarco-rubio.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Stealth Christie Group Attacks Rubio in New Hampshire's 11th Hour > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=00c223c2-ae5c-4b6d-b499-6649bea526bf&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 12 Hours on the Campaign Trail [Watch (HLS stream): 12 Hours on the Campaign Trail](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WQuMJswt.m3u8) (3:58)  _Published 2016-02-07. Across New Hampshire, candidates are engaging in the kind of retail politics that is only possible in a small state: attending luncheons and speaking at town halls, shaking voters’ hands in restaurants, and taking hundreds of selfies._ by [Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel](https://time.com/author/center-for-public-integrity/) ## Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel Feb 9, 2016 5:05 PM UTC by [Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel](https://time.com/author/center-for-public-integrity/) ## Center for Public Integrity / Michael Beckel Feb 9, 2016 5:05 PM UTC As New Hampshirites prepare to vote in their state’s Republican presidential primary, allies of [Chris Christie](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/30/17582/9-things-know-about-chris-christie) have launched an 11th-hour, “[dark money](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/01/20/19156/what-political-dark-money-and-it-bad)” attack on [Marco Rubio](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/13/17058/12-things-know-about-marco-rubio). Mailers sent to New Hampshire residents [have criticized](https://www.publicintegrity.org/node/19274) Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, for not being tough enough on illegal immigration and for utilizing a subsidy under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. As first reported by [_The Resurgent_](http://theresurgent.com/whos-behind-dark-money-in-new-hampshire/?platform=hootsuite) and [_Mother Jones_](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/02/new-hampshire-primary-mailers), these mailings were paid for by an upstart group called [America Needs Leadership](http://www.americaneedsleadership.org/). Christie, New Jersey’s governor, desperately needs to beat Rubio in New Hampshire to energize his sputtering campaign. Rubio has enjoyed [rising poll numbers](http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2016-new-hampshire-presidential-republican-primary) after his strong third-place finish last week [in Iowa](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/02/03/19246/nice-right-iowa-caucuses), where Sen.[Ted Cruz](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/03/23/16947/ted-cruzs-presidential-cash-hunt-commences) of Texas and billionaire real estate mogul [Donald Trump](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/16/17488/9-things-know-about-donald-trump) narrowly [edged him out](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/us/ted-cruz-wins-republican-caucus.html?%5Fr=0). **The ad’s sponsor** America Needs Leadership is not organized as a super PAC that must disclosure its donors. Rather, it’s a nonprofit group under sec. 501(c)(4) of the U.S. tax code, which means the group is generally allowed to keep the names of its donors secret. That designation also means that, by law, the group’s [primary purpose](https://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Other-Non-Profits/Social-Welfare-Purposes) must be “to promote social welfare,” not to engage in electoral politics — although it may advocate for or against candidates to a limited degree. What exactly is the group’s mission? According to its all-but-empty [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/americaneedsleadership/info/?tab=page%5Finfo), America Needs Leadership wants “a new generation of leaders to step up to move our country forward with strength and resolve.” Records with the Internal Revenue Service show that America Needs Leadership was awarded tax-exempt status as a “social welfare” nonprofit in December 2015. **Who’s behind it?** America Needs Leadership’s [bare-bones website](http://www.americaneedsleadership.org/) was registered in October 2015 by Kurt Luidhardt, an Indiana-based political consultant at [The Prosper Group](https://www.prospergroupcorp.com/), a digital agency he co-founded in 2006\. _Campaigns & Elections_ magazine [has described](http://www.campaignsandelections.com/awards/rising-stars/rising-stars-2010/2224/kurt-luidhardt-30-republican) Luidhardt as “one of the GOP’s top thinkers in online campaigning.” According to his [official biography](https://www.prospergroupcorp.com/profile/kurt-luidhardt), Luidhardt has worked with Republican politicians including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, former Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts — and Christie. Campaign finance filings show two groups connected to Christie paid Luidhardt’s The Prosper Group nearly $300,000 last year. One is America Leads, a super PAC backing Christie’s presidential bid, which paid The Prosper Group about $255,000 last year. Press reports [describe Luidhardt](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/07/03/exclusive-chris-christie-hires-presidential-campaign-manager-and-appoints-senior-staff/) as [leading](http://www.npr.org/2015/12/16/459936083/christie-pac-makes-the-most-of-new-hampshire-targeted-facebook-ads) the super PAC’s digital efforts. The other is Leadership Matters for America, a federal political action committee Christie [launched last year](http://time.com/3682018/chris-christie-2016-presidential-election-white-house-republican-pac/) ahead of his official presidential campaign, paid the firm about $41,000 in 2015. Meanwhile, IRS records list Virginia-based political consultant Timothy Koch of the firm [Koch & Hoos](http://www.kochandhoos.com/) as a contact for America Needs Leadership, the sponsor of the anti-Rubio mailers. According to _The Resurgent_, the address of Koch’s firm was listed as the return address on the recent mailings to New Hampshire voters. Koch also serves as the treasurer of the pro-Christie super PAC America Leads, which paid Koch & Hoos about $32,000 last year for accounting and compliance services. The now-defunct presidential campaign of Republican [Rick Santorum](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/05/27/17390/12-things-know-about-rick-santorum) was also among Koch & Hoos’ clients, according to federal campaign finance records. Neither Luidhardt nor Koch responded to requests for comment from the [Center for Public Integrity](http://www.publicintegrity.org/). **Money in** It’s unclear who’s is funding America Needs Leadership. The [mailers](https://www.publicintegrity.org/node/19274) sent to New Hampshire voters note that contributions from foreign nationals and government contractors are prohibited. But they also highlight the fact that the group may accept “unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and other U.S. organizations” and note that America Needs Leadership “does not make contributions to, or coordinate its spending with, any candidates or political parties.” **Money out** It’s also unclear how much America Needs Leadership is spending. The group’s first official tax return—which would provide insights into how much money America Needs Leadership raised and spent during its first year of existence — will not be required to be filed with the IRS until after the November 2016 general election. **Why to watch this group** With the emergence of America Needs Leadership as an anonymous attack dog, Christie has become the latest GOP presidential candidate to benefit from “[dark money](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/01/20/19156/what-political-dark-money-and-it-bad)” in the 2016 election. But he’s not the first. Secretive groups that don’t disclose their donors are playing a larger role in 2016 than any presidential primary before. For example, a group supporting Rubio called the [Conservative Solutions Project](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5926406673b047a7a34f1177e01014da/anonymous-donors-send-millions-pro-rubio-group) spent more than [$8.5 million](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/47-5-million-cant-buy-these-candidates-love-least-so-n472166) on TV ads last year. And fellow GOP White House contenders [Jeb Bush](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/15/17142/12-things-know-about-jeb-bush) and [Bobby Jindal](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/06/24/17506/9-things-know-about-bobby-jindal) also saw allies utilize “social welfare” nonprofits in [attempts](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-secret-donors-could-play-a-big-role-boosting-jeb-bush/2015/03/31/05647310-d7cd-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac%5Fstory.html) to [boost](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/11/17/18867/drug-lobby-gave-50000-pro-jindal-nonprofit) their respective campaigns. Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in [_Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission_](https://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/10/18/11527/citizens-united-decision-and-why-it-matters), “social welfare” nonprofit groups like America Needs Leadership may spend a portion of their funds directly calling for the election or defeat of federal candidates. That means America Needs Leadership may take on a more direct advocacy role before the 2016 presidential primary is over. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Theres just a few days left until the primary. So here in New Hampshire all the candidates are hosting events 30 minutes, maybe 10, 15 minutes away from each other Throughout the day. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Okay. Kind of crazy stairs. The camera lady should be careful. Ask yourselves this. How many presidential elections have you heard the same things? We're gonna secure the border. We've been talking about that for 25 years, folks. We're gonna reform the tax code. We're gonna reform social security. We're gonna care for our veterans. Has any of that happened in the last 40 years? No. When we began our campaign, there were a lot of media pundits who were commenting on my hair. [ LAUGH ] [ INAUDIBLE ] A lot has changed in the last nine months. Is it fair that we have more income and wealth inequality than any major country on Earth today? Why is that? [ APPLAUSE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Sometimes run into people who say I'm trying to make up my mind between you and Senator Sanders. Sometimes they have a specific question, but sometimes they said, well, it's kinda between my heart and my head. I said, well I can solve that for you. What motivates me everyday is what's in my heart. [ APPLAUSE ] I wanna say a word to the extraordinary People particularly young people who are supporting Senator Sanders. I know you may not be for me now, but I am for you and I << will work hard. [ MUSIC ] [ CROSSTALK ] Whoo. Whoo. [ UNKNOWN ] How are you? Good to see you [ UNKNOWN ]. Good to see you. [ CROSSTALK ] We really wanted to come by cause [ UNKNOWN ] was the place where we kicked off our campaign in June. On the day that we announced we left New Jersey came right to New Hampshire and did our first town hall meeting. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you. You enjoyed it up here right? Yes we did. We just left the Christi event and it only lasted 15 minutes. It was definitely the shortest event of the day. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Over and over again, when we face impossible odds, the American people rose to the challenge. Everyone's here tonight because we recognize our country's in crisis. We're bankrupting our kids and grandkids. Our Constitutional rights are under assault each and every day. And America has receded from leadership in the world and it has made the world a much more dangerous place. The stakes in this election could not be higher. [ NOISE ] If we wake up on, what is it, the first Wednesday in November, maybe it's the second Wednesday in November, to the news that Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States. Or to the news that Hilary Clinton is the president of the United States. [ NOISE ] You like her less than Bernie. [ LAUGH ] If you nominate me, I will unify this party. We can't win unless we're together and the Democrats would love nothing more than to have us fighting against each other for the next six months. I will unify the conservative movement, if I'm our nominee. [ APPLAUSE ]. [ MUSIC ]. Take care buddy. 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