Koch-backed groups targeting key legislative races, congressional seat in final weeks of election
Americans for Prosperity Action and the LIBRE Initiative Action, two political advocacy organizations backed by billionaire Charles Koch, announced on Wednesday a six-figure investment this cycle into four competitive legislative races and a key congressional seat in Nevada.
The two libertarian advocacy groups will focus their efforts on boosting state Sen. Heidi Gansert’s re-election campaign in Senate District 15 — a key seat in Democrats’ quest to secure a supermajority in the Senate — and flipping three legislative seats held by Democrats. The candidates in those races are April Becker in Senate District 6, Andy Matthews in Assembly District 37 and Steven DeLisle in Assembly District 29.
The organizations are also backing Republican Dan Rodimer’s campaign in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District against Democratic Rep. Susie Lee.
“These candidates have the vision and political courage we need to help empower communities, bolster our economy, and make reforms to our education and health care systems,” Juan Martinez, a senior adviser for Americans for Prosperity Action, said in a statement. “We are proud to support candidates who have an agenda to defend and advance policies that have long expanded opportunity across our state.”
The two groups plan to focus their investment, which they say is in the mid-six figures, on multiple rounds of mailers, digital ads, phone banking and door knocking. While President Donald Trump’s campaign has been in the field in Nevada since June and Joe Biden’s campaign recently started door-knocking, fewer third-party groups are out in the field this cycle amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The LIBRE Initiative Action efforts will be in English and Spanish.