FACT: Senator Kelly Ayotte has already benefited from more than $5 million in outside spending from GOP groups on TV, radio and digital ads to prop up her campaign and attack Governor Maggie Hassan – including more than a million dollars from Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity.
FACT: Politico reported that this spending has made her “one of the biggest beneficiaries of outside money in the 2016 Senate landscape. A network of GOP nonprofits and PACs spent millions of dollars on advertising against Hassan before she even declared she would run.”
FACT: Ayotte has accepted more than $35,000 in Koch cash, a reward for voting with Americans for Prosperity nearly 90% of the time in her first four years in the Senate.
FACT: Ayotte has opposed efforts to reverse the damaging Citizens United ruling and truly put a stop to dark money in politics.
“So now that Ayotte’s raked it in, she wants to stop outside spending? Don’t be fooled: this is another shallow election year attempt to rewrite her record,” said Lauren Passalacqua, DSCC National Press Secretary. “Ayotte is trying to mislead Granite Staters about the money that’s poured in to help her save her career and about her failure to do anything to fix the broken campaign finance system.”
BACKGROUND
AYOTTE RECEIVED MORE THAN $35K IN KOCH CASH & BENEFITED FROM A DAVID KOCH NEW YORK CITY FUNDRAISER
Members Of The Koch Family, Including David Koch, Have Contributed $12,000 To Ayotte.
[Influence Explorer, Accessed 5/15/15]
Koch Industries Was A Top Contributing Donor To Ayotte Over Her Federal Career With More Than $24k In Campaign Contributions. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Koch Industries was the fifteenth top contributing donor to Ayotte over her career as a Federal candidate. Koch Industries has contributed $24,100 to her campaigns. [Center for Responsive Politics, Accessed6/23/15]
- Koch Industries Was Tied As The Third Biggest Contributor To KellyPAC In 2014 With $10,000 In Donations.According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Koch Industries donated $10,000 to KellyPAC in 2014, making them tied as the third biggest contributor. [Center for Responsive Politics, Accessed 6/24/15]
Ayotte Attended A $10,000-A-Plate Fundraiser For The Koch Brothers In New York City. “Big money donor David Koch hosted a $10,000-a-plate fundraiser in Manhattan Monday night for four, Republican Senate candidates including Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH according to published reports. Koch’s hometown favorite is August Wolf, a GOP hopeful running against Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, The Connecticut Mirror reported. But other benefactors of the event were GOP Senators Roy Blunt of Missouri, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Ayotte, the newspaper reported Monday. Ayotte finished the most recent quarter impressively with more than $5 million in the bank.” [NH1, 10/20/15]
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY HAS ALREADY SPENT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS TO SUPPORT AYOTTE’S RE-ELECTION & THE GROUP’S PRESIDENT SAID THEY WILL BACK HER BECAUSE OF HER “REALLY GOOD VOTING RECORD”
Aug. 2015: Americans For Prosperity Aired Attack Ad Against Hassan. “The conservative issues group Americans for Prosperity on Monday will begin a more than $1 million, 20-day television advertising buy to criticize Gov. Maggie Hassan for her veto of a state budget that included business tax cuts. Hassan said she vetoed the budget bill because the cuts would have left the budget out of balance. Republicans disagree. The 30-second ad, entitled, ‘Cherish Freedom,’ is the first-ever AFP TV ad in New Hampshire focusing on state policy issues, the group’s New Hampshire director, Greg Moore, told WMUR.com. […] Democrats are calling the ad by the Koch brothers-funded group a ‘completely false’ and ‘dishonest attempt’ by an out-of-state group to ‘meddle in New Hampshire’s budget process’ and help Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte.” [WMUR, 8/6/15]
- Americans For Prosperity Ad Buy In NH Was $1.2 Million. “AFP targets Hassan with $1.2 million ad buy: Americans for Prosperity is targeting New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan with a $1.2 million television buy criticizing her handling of the state budget.” [Politico Morning Score, 8/6/15]
America’s For Prosperity President Said They Would Likely Back Ayotte In 2016 Because Of Her “Really Good Voting Record.” “Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, the flagship group in Charles and David Koch’s network of politically active nonprofits, dropped by POLITICO’s Rosslyn headquarters last week to chat 2016. So which Republican senators is the group most likely to back with TV ads thanking them for their stances on issues next year? AFP has been impressed with Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rob Portman of Ohio, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Phillips said. Ayotte ‘had a really good voting record on a lot of pretty tough issues, in a state that Barack Obama carried twice,’ he said.” [Politico, 11/6/15]
AYOTTE VOTED WITH AFP NEARLY 90% OF THE TIME HER FIRST FOUR YEARS, SAID “WE NEED MORE GROUPS LIKE” THEM
Ayotte Had An 90% Rating From Americans For Prosperity In 113th Congress. [Americans for Prosperity, Accessed 2/10/16]
Ayotte Had An 89% Rating From Americans For Prosperity In 112th Congress. [Americans for Prosperity, Accessed 2/10/16]
- Politico: Americans For Prosperity Was “The Main Political Arm” Of The Koch Brothers. “The Koch brothers’ main political arm intends to spend more than $125 million this year on an aggressive ground, air and data operation benefiting conservatives, according to a memo distributed to major donors and sources familiar with the group.” [Politico, 5/9/14]
Ayotte Said “We Need More Groups Like Americans For Prosperity.” “AYOTTE: First of all, let me say that Americans for Prosperity, I appreciate so much, Corey Lewandowski and his leadership. And also Americans for Prosperity, what they do not only here in New Hampshire but across the country in fighting for principles that are foundational to our country. And frankly, we need more groups like Americans for Prosperity and it is a deep honor for me to have received this award from such an important group that is really instrumental in making sure that we get our country on the right track and that we get our country back to those foundational principles.” [YouTube, 7/21/15]
