Article content continued

“We’ll be supporting those folks who will be champions, not just passive supporters,” James Davis, executive vice-president of Koch-backed Freedom Partners, said in an interview.

Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP

The network’s co-chair said the group will continue to expand despite the retirement of one of its founders. David Koch, 76, announced Tuesday he is stepping down for health reasons.

It’s unclear where exactly the Koch organizations will direct their firepower, but it seems possible they could intervene in Republican primaries, an unwelcome development for Republicans already in a tough political environment.

The campaign represents a threat to Trump’s presidency. Whether a mortal or serious one is yet to be seen, said Ian Lee, a professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business.

However, “This family has a lot of money, and they’re willing to spend it by supporting candidates who are going to support the pro-growth, pro-free trade, pro reductions in tariffs agenda.”

“I really don’t care who is doing the opposing — I know this family has a bad brand in the United States — but you take your help where you find it,” Lee said. “If they are going to be the instrument that’s going to organize opposition to Trump’s absurd ideas on trade well, so be it.”

Photo by Bo Radar / The Wichita Eagle/ASSOCIATED PRESS

The campaign, which is also backed by the Koch-sponsored Americans for Prosperity and the Libre Initiative, will include spending on “paid media, activist education and grassroots mobilization, lobbying and policy analysis,” the groups said in a release. Davis said that includes an aim to shape public opinion beyond Washington. “We recognize that there has been a rise in protectionist rhetoric and sentiment from both the Republican and Democratic parties, and we want to make sure we’re connecting Americans to the benefits of free trade over the long term,” he said.