Americans for Prosperity Action plans to fight in more than 200 federal and state elections in 2020, tripling the grassroots mobilization effort it deployed during the 2018 midterm cycle, The Washington Times has learned.

The aggressive expansion by the super PAC, which is the main political advocacy arm of the Koch network, appears to answer questions about its future after the August 2019 death of its co-founder, billionaire conservative activist David Koch.

AFP Action engaged more than 1 million voters in 2019, an outreach effort surpassing that of any previous off-election-cycle year. In 2020, the Koch network has already reached 250,000 voters and plans to engage with tens of millions.

“When we decide to support someone, we look holistically at a candidate’s record and actions,” an AFP Action representative said. “We support candidates that stick their necks out on important policy improvements, especially when politically difficult.”

The Koch network has not been supportive of President Trump, and its leadership has said it is willing to support candidates in any party. AFP Action is evaluating candidates on such policy areas as corporate welfare, economic opportunity, education, immigration and trade.

AFP Action has expressed support for several Republican lawmakers campaigning in 2020 such as Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, David Perdue of Georgia, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Reps. Steve Chabot of Ohio and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, among others.

The failure to fall in lockstep with Mr. Trump has not made the Koch network’s arsenal any less of a force to be reckoned with by its opponents. As the Progressive Turnout Project prepares its own $45 million outreach effort, the group said it views the Koch network’s work in previous election years as “baked in” to the challenges ahead in the 2020 race.

“The way PTP has approached this cycle is we have just anticipated that there is going to be record levels of engagement on both sides,” said Kait Sweeney, the group’s spokeswoman. “Trump has galvanized our movement. That’s why we won back the House. We’ve gone into this cycle knowing that Trump is going to have a similar effect.”

The Koch network and Progressive Turnout Project likely will be keeping an eye on each other’s moves as the elections near. The liberal group previously announced plans to mobilize 1,100 staffers in hopes of reaching 2.6 million voters in the Rust Belt and more than 4 million voters in the South who could expand the Democratic Party’s base.

Precisely where and how these advocacy groups expend resources will depend greatly upon the process and outcome of the impeachment proceedings.

Americans for Prosperity Action would not comment on its planned expenditures for the 2020 cycle, citing the early stage of the campaign season.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.