Koch network cancels Rubio ads
The powerful donor network helmed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch is canceling more than half a million dollars in Florida advertising designed to help Republican Marco Rubio in his Senate race, according to Koch network spokesman James Davis.
{mosads}The canceled reservation period is from Aug. 30 to Sept. 6 and was valued at $568,000, he said.
“Rubio is running strong in Florida, so we are realigning our television spend to other areas for this week,” said Davis, when asked to explain the reasoning behind the decision.
“We will continue to monitor things and make adjustments as necessary.”
Rubio leads his likely Democratic rival, Rep. Patrick Murphy, by 5.8 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.
And Rubio will not be short of cash, given he is a favorite of the GOP donor class and built a national fundraising network during his unsuccessful run for president.
The Koch network, which plans to spend more than $42 million helping vulnerable Senate Republicans, will redeploy the Rubio money into states where it is more needed.
But the network, largely through its grassroots army Americans For Prosperity (AFP), will still maintain a large footprint in Florida, where AFP has its most robust ground presence.
The Koch network has 16 field offices in Florida and 165 field staff, which includes full-time and part-time workers and contractors, according to a source familiar with the operation.
About 105 of these Florida staff belong to AFP, and the rest are divided across the other Koch network groups, Concerned Veterans for America, Generation Opportunity and Libre.
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