Conservative network going all out for 2018
Koch and allies seek to defend GOP strength at state level
The vast policy and political network aligned with billionaire Charles Koch is ramping up for its most expensive round of political and policy fights yet as it works to expand the Republican majority in the Senate, push Congress to approve President Trump’s tax cuts and promote measures across the country to curb organized labor.
The conservative network also plans to spend heavily on governors’ races in the next two years when Republicans are defending 27 of the 38 seats on the ballot.
“You have to invest in governors because we are getting things done in states,” Missouri’s Republican Gov. Eric Greitens told the 400 conservative contributors who assembled at a luxury resort here for a three- day private retreat.
“We are able to drive tremendous change,” Greitens said, touting recent passage of laws in his state to rein in unions. Missouri joined Kentucky this year in passing so- called right- to- work laws, which ban unions from collecting mandatory dues from employees. In all, six states have passed similar laws since 2012, and the group hopes to push similar measures in Ohio and New Hampshire next year.
“These have been the biggest policy advances in a generation,” said Tim Phillips, who heads the grassroots arm. “There are so many states that have advanced good policy in recent years, and we have to protect these policy victories.”
His comments came as network officials huddled Sunday with donors to discuss their strategy ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. The network plans to spend $ 300 million to $ 400 million over two years, an increase from the $ 250 million it spent in the 2016 election cycle. Among the group’s priorities:
Pushing for across- the- board tax cuts advanced by Trump. The network already spent $ 1 million to push the plan, the first part of a multimillion- dollar campaign to pressure congressional lawmakers to support a tax overhaul. Its advertising will target 52 lawmakers.
Building support for Trump’s conservative judicial nominees. Concerned Veterans for America, one of the network’s grassroots arms, is running ads targeting three Senate Democrats on the ballot next year: Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. The ads seek to pressure the incumbents to support three of Trump’s appeals court nominees.
Changing federal civil- service rules to make it easier to fire federal employees. The network officials helped push a bill signed into law Friday by Trump, reducing hurdles to firing problem employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Network officials say they consider that a template for bills targeting other agencies.
“There’s too much bureaucracy, and it makes it impossible to fire bad employees in the federal government,” said Rebecca Coffman, a spokeswoman for Concerned Veterans.