Koch network

Charles G. and David H. Koch

Charles G. (born 1935) and David H. Koch (1940–2019), sometimes referred to as the Koch brothers,^[1] have become famous for their financial and political influence in United States politics with a libertarian, more specifically, right-libertarian or American-style libertarian political stance. From around 2004 to 2019,^[2] with "foresight and perseverance",^[1] the brothers organized like-minded wealthy libertarian-oriented conservatives, spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money to build an "integrated" and  "stealth" network of think tanks, foundations, "grassroots" movements,^[2] academic programs, advocacy and legal groups to "destroy the prevalent statist paradigm"^[3] and reshape public opinion to favor minimal government.^[1][4][5] As of mid 2018, the media has been encouraged to refer to the "Koch network" rather than the "Koch brothers".^[6]

The Koch brothers are the sons of Fred C. Koch (1900–1967), who founded Koch Industries, now the second largest privately held company in the United States. As of 2012 they owned 84% of Koch Industries stock,^[5] and as of December 2022, Charles Koch was estimated to have a net worth of $66 billion, making him the 14th-richest person in the world.^[7] Fred C. had four sons, but the other two, Fredrick and William, are not involved in the family business; Charles and David bought them out in 1983,^[8] and neither are involved with the family foundations, or Charles and David's political or philanthropic network.

The brothers' ideology is libertarian, more specifically the right-libertarian branch most commonly found in American-style libertarianism.^[9] The late David Koch described himself as a social liberal,^[10][11] and in the early years of their political activity ran for vice president as the Libertarian Party's candidate.^[12] However, his "intense" focus was "on economic and fiscal issues" - i.e. being fiscally conservative or economically liberal^[11] rather than other libertarian causes, and as of 2014 the millions of dollars both brothers donated to candidates went to Republicans, not Libertarians.^[10]

They actively fund and support organizations that contribute significantly to Republican candidates, promote climate change denial,^[13][14][15] and in particular that lobby against efforts to expand government's role in health care and climate change mitigation.^[16] Unlike less patient, shrewd, or deep-pocketed activists, they spent time and money on less visible projects "like influencing policy at the state legislative level".^[2] By 2010, they had donated more than $100 million to dozens of conservative advocacy organizations.^[16] From 2009 to 2016, the network of conservative/right-wing donors they organized pledged to spend $889 million and its infrastructure was said by Politico to rival "that of the Republican National Committee".^[17] Despite its secrecy, the vast reach, massive funding, and political success of the network has gradually raised the brothers' profile and made them a "bogeyman" among many liberals and Democrats.^[18]

In May 2019, the Kochs announced a change in direction,^[9] described as a "turn away from partisan politics to focus more on goals that cut across ideologies".^[19] The Koch network would henceforth operate under the umbrella of Stand Together, a nonprofit focused on supporting community groups. The network emphasized this was “not a branding exercise” and stated that its priorities would be efforts aimed at such anodyne goals as increasing employment, addressing poverty and addiction, ensuring excellent education, building a stronger economy, and bridging divides and building respect.^[19] Some critics maintain "Koch-affiliated groups" are still active "at the front lines of our current culture wars".^[20]