Politics

Koch Money

By Paul Blumenthal

Few companies have received as much attention for their campaign expenses than Koch Industries in the past year. According to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, Koch contributed $1.35 million to winning congressional campaigns in the 2010 cycle.

Koch has become the target of liberal groups' ire as the conservative-backing owners, David and Charles Koch, have increased their profile in Republican politics in the past few years. The Koch brothers are long-time funders of conservative and libertarian causes, often times in disagreement with the Republican Party that they are associated with.

The two have been known to fund a variety of political groups, including Americans for Prosperity, that became very active in running independent expenditures in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling.

Today's Washington Post has a story on Rep. Mike Pompeo, the top recipient of money from Koch Industries in the 2010 cycle. Pompeo received nearly $80,000 from Koch Industries in 2010 and recently hired a former Koch Industries lawyer as his chief of staff. The article also reveals that Pompeo's business received backing by Koch Venture Capital. Both Koch Industries and Pompeo hail from Kansas.

The majority of the money contributed by Koch Industries has gone to Republicans. A select few Democrats have also been recipients. These include the most conservative members of the Democratic caucus including Reps. Mike Ross, Jim Matheson, and Dan Boren. Others are those who support Koch priorities like defeating proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

You can navigate the graphic below to see all Koch Industries campaign contributions from last year:

Full post as published by Sunlight Foundation on March 21, 2011 (boomark / email).