Venture capitalist Peter Thiel and conservative commentator Ann Coulter will host the fundraiser in New York City. | Theo Wargo/Getty Images campaigns Peter Thiel, Ann Coulter to star at Kris Kobach Senate fundraiser

Venture capitalist Peter Thiel and conservative author Ann Coulter are slated to host a fundraising reception for Kansas Republican Kris Kobach’s Senate campaign next week.

The event — to be held on Sept. 18 in New York City, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO — will provide a fundraising boost for Kobach as the former Kansas secretary of state and immigration hard-liner faces strong opposition from the Republican Party establishment.


Kobach, who has aligned himself with President Donald Trump and served on the president’s short-lived election integrity commission, is a leading candidate for the Senate seat left open by veteran GOP Sen. Pat Roberts’ retirement. But many GOP officials fear the controversial Kobach proved himself unelectable when he lost the governor’s race in 2018, and they are concerned that he could hand what is normally a safe Republican seat to Democrats in 2020, when Republicans are trying to protect a three-seat Senate majority.

Senior Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have been trying to recruit Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman, into the contest. Several other Republicans — including GOP Rep. Roger Marshall and state Senate President Susan Wagle — have entered the race as well. Republican state Treasurer Jake LaTurner dropped out of the Senate race last week to run for the House instead.

The 51-year-old Thiel, who spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, has emerged as one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters in Silicon Valley. The billionaire has given extensively to Republican causes over the years — including to the president’s 2020 campaign.

Coulter had long been a Trump backer, but she has recently broken with him, saying the president has failed to keep his promises to crack down on illegal immigration. The president has fired back, calling her a “Wacky Nut Job.”

The fundraising event comes just days before the Sept. 30 third-quarter fundraising deadline. Kobach will have to disclose his campaign fundraising by Oct. 15.