Washington, August 1 (RHC)-- The Koch brothers and other wealthy conservatives planning to spend nearly $1 billion in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election have invited four leading Republican candidates -- Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker -- to have a chance at their monetary blessing.
The Koch annual summer conference is scheduled to begin today, August 1st and continue through Monday, August 3rd, according to a report published by the POLITICO, a news organization based in Virginia.
The billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch wield significant financial and political influence on U.S. politics, both directly and indirectly, via various advocacy and lobbying organizations.
The Koch brothers are the sons of Fred C. Koch, who founded Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held company in the United States. Charles and David Koch have said they plan to spend nearly $1 billion during the 2016 U.S. presidential election cycle.
The brothers have contributed heavily to conservative campaigns and think tanks. They are among the best-known Republican donors, and potential GOP candidates court their favor.
But the brothers are considering throwing their massive wealth and sophisticated organization into the Republican presidential primary for the first time. The Kochs have resisted jumping into presidential campaigns in the past because they had doubts in the value of the investment.
Sixteen candidates are battling for the 2016 Republican nomination for the White House, including billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who has moved to the top of the 2016 GOP nomination, according to a new poll.
The new CNN/ORC Poll, released on Sunday, shows Trump at 18% support among Republican voters, with former Florida Governor Bush trailing behind at 15%.
The poll shows that Trump's support among Republican voters increased six percentage points since late June, while support for Bush and Wisconsin Governor Walker has not changed considerably. Walker has 10% support among Republicans and Republican-leaning voters.
According to a recent study published by the New York Times, Wealthy individuals and corporations have begun to replace powerless people as direct beneficiaries of the US political system and the Constitution.
“Concentrated, moneyed interests, represented by those in control of the country’s largest business corporation are increasingly able to turn law into a lottery, reducing law’s predictability, impairing property rights, and increasing the share of the economy devoted to rent-seeking rather than productive activity,” says John C. Coates, who teaches business law at Harvard University.
In a landmark 2010 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed unlimited independent spending by corporations in elections.
