--- title: Where the Koch Network Is Putting Their Money—Anywhere But Trump description: Even with Kamala Harris as the nominee, the powerful network led by billionaire Charles Koch is not putting money toward Trump. canonical: https://time.com/7018266/trump-republicans-koch-network-2024/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-09-05T17:28:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:18.139Z article:section: Politics og:title: Where the Koch Network Is Putting Their Money—Anywhere But Trump og:description: Even with Kamala Harris as the nominee, the powerful network led by billionaire Charles Koch is not putting money toward Trump. og:url: https://time.com/7018266/trump-republicans-koch-network-2024/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1aa08a102e7e0f3/698a5a9e929fad363ebfcf39/GettyImages-2167846420.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Donald Trump Speaks At The National Guard Association Of The United States' 146th General Conference & Exhibition og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Where the Koch Network Is Putting Their Money—Anywhere But Trump twitter:description: Even with Kamala Harris as the nominee, the powerful network led by billionaire Charles Koch is not putting money toward Trump. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1aa08a102e7e0f3/698a5a9e929fad363ebfcf39/GettyImages-2167846420.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Where the Koch Network Is Putting Their Money—Anywhere But Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 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. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times 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. ## Video: Donald Trump Outlines Policy Proposals As He Accepts the Nomination at the RNC [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump Outlines Policy Proposals As He Accepts the Nomination at the RNC](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uLiqxCkk.m3u8) (4:55)  _Published 2024-07-19. Donald Trump used his speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday night to outline a few policy proposals during his speech, drawing a contrast with the Biden Administration over the economy, immigration, and foreign policy._  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Sep 5, 2024 5:28 PM UTC  Former President Donald Trump attends the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference at on August 26, 2024 in Detroit. Former President Donald Trump attends the National Guard Association of the United States' 146th General Conference at on August 26, 2024 in Detroit. Emily Elconin—Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Sep 5, 2024 5:28 PM UTC _This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up_ [_here_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=dc-brief&source=dc%5Fonsite) _to get stories like this sent to your inbox._ When some of the biggest donors to conservative causes [made](https://time.com/6253038/koch-brothers-trump-gop-nomination/) explicit their electoral opposition to a second Trump term way back in February of 2023, it came as something of a shock to the Republican orbit. After all, the powerful network [organized](https://time.com/5491587/koch-brothers-network-immigration-reform/) under the auspices of billionaire industrialist Charles Koch had officially remained neutral in Trump’s [2016](https://time.com/3987011/the-koch-brothers-reboot-for-2016/) and [2020](https://time.com/6253038/koch-brothers-trump-gop-nomination/) campaigns, a sign of how uncomfortable his allies were with a candidate whose positions were so far afoul from their own on so many issues. But by the time the network gathered at the start of 2023, their position on Trump was not really a point of discussion. The deadly Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, was [finally](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/magazine/jan-6-capitol-police-officers.html) a step too far. The chief of the network’s main political arm, Americans For Prosperity, told her patrons that they were ready to back an alternative Republican who showed promise of winning. The group ultimately plowed more than $32 million into former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and another $10 million in broader anti-Trump efforts before throwing in the towel. The hopes of reclaiming the party from this gatecrasher were dashed and they had to live with Trump as their standard bearer. It’s been six months since Haley ended her bid, and just over six weeks since Biden followed suit. Vice President Kamala Harris has scrambled the electoral map, and might look like more of a threat than Biden on some key Koch issues. So where does that lead Koch World and their deep pockets? Not far from where they’ve been all along—doing their best to help Republicans not named Trump. Despite some pleas from Trump apologists who still pony up cash to the organizations operating under the Koch umbrella, the leadership remains unbending in their decision to stay out of the presidential race altogether. Instead, Koch-linked strategists say their main goal is to be a check against unified Democratic control of Washington. To them, a progressive sweep of D.C. is the biggest threat this fall, and to that end, staff and volunteers have already knocked on more than five million doors to help their Senate prospects, especially those in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Montana. At the House level, the Koch network—and those who take their cues from it—are focused on about two dozen races, many of them in deep-blue states like California and New York, where voters have shown a willingness to split their tickets. There are currently 17 Republicans from districts Biden won in 2020 and five Democrats from districts where Trump won. With Republicans holding a razor-thin majority, these races are likely to see some of the highest spending in some of the most expensive media markets. While the Koch network may be steering clear of the top of the ticket, it’s flowing mightily toward these top-target congressional races. The main Koch-aligned super PAC, Americans For Prosperity Action, is in at major levels; it was investing just shy of $70 million in all of 2022 and almost $48 million in 2020\. This year, campaign finance reports covering spending through Aug. 12 show the group had already spent $78 million on federal races. And there are still about three months of cash that is not yet accounted for this year. If it seems like outside groups are playing bigger roles in campaigns than in the past, it’s because it is true. During the 2020 campaign—the last presidential race, albeit one that unfolded during a pandemic—outside groups spent $686 million, not far from the $663 million of 2016\. Already this year, outside groups have spent $1.3 billion. Of that eye-popping total, $778 million has been dedicated to the presidential campaigns, suggesting the Koch decision to sit out the White House race hasn’t choked off all of the heft, just the expertise and efficiencies that come from a penny-pinching leader who is unmatched in getting a return on his investments for his political spending. _Make sense of what matters in Washington._ [_Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=dc-brief&source=dc%5Fonsite)_._ ## Transcript Monday, a major ruling was handed down from a highly respected federal judge in Florida, Ilen Cannon, finding that the prosecutor and the fake documents case against me were totally unconstitutional, and the entire case was thrown out of court. With all of that publicity, thrown out of court. If Democrats want to unify our country, they should drop these partisan witch hunts, which I have been going through for approximately eight years. And they should do that without delay and allow an election to proceed that isy of our people. We're gonna win it anyway. On this journey, I am deeply honored to be joined by my amazing wife, Melania. And Mania, thank you very much. You also did something really beautiful, a letter to America calling for National Unity, and it really took the Republican Party by surprise. I will tell you, it was beautiful. But I'm thrilled to have a new friend and partner fighting by my side. The next Vice President of the United States, the current Senator from Ohio, JD Vance and his incredible wife, Oha And he's gonna be with us for a long time, and it was an honor to select him, great, great student at Yale. His wife was a great student at Yale. They met at. Yale. These are two smart people. So, JD, you're gonna be doing this for a long time. Enjoy the ride. If you took the ten worst presidents in the history of the United States, think of it. The ten worst added them up. They will not have done the damage that Biden has done. Only going to use the term once. Biden. I'm not going to use the name anymore, just one time. The damage that he's done to this country is unthinkable. It's unthinkable. Under this administration, our current administration, groceries are up 57%, gasoline is up 60 and 70%. Mortgage rates have quadrupled. And the fact is, it doesn't matter what they are because you can't get the money anyway. Can't buy houses. Young people can't get any financing to buy a house. The total household costs have increased on average of $28,000 per family under this administration. Republicans have a plan to bring down prices and bring them down very, very rapidly. By slashing energy costs, we will in turn reduce the cost of transportation, manufacturing and all household goods. So much starts with energy. And remember, we have more liquid gold under our feet than any other country, by far, we are a nation that has the opportunity to make an absolute fortune with its energy. We have it, and China does it. Under the Trump administration just 3.5 years ago, we were energy independent, but soon we will actually be better than that. We will be energy dominant and supply not only ourselves, but we will supply the rest of the world. So to conclude, Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended. We know that. And yet here we are tonight all gathered together, talking about the future promise, and a total renewal of a thing we love very much. It's called America. We live in a world of miracles. None of us knows God's plan or where life's adventure will take us. And quite simply, we will very quickly make America great again. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Wisconsin. God bless you. God bless you, Wisconsin, and God bless the United States of America, our great country. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7018266/trump-republicans-koch-network-2024/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7018266/trump-republicans-koch-network-2024/"},"headline":"Where the Koch Network Is Putting Their Money—Anywhere But Trump","datePublished":"2024-09-05T17:28:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:18.139Z","description":"Conservative network backing down-ballot Republicans, not top of ticket","url":"https://time.com/7018266/trump-republicans-koch-network-2024/","keywords":["The D.C. 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