In a tight race, billionaire Koch brothers take aim at Beto O'Rourke

The Koch brother's political advocacy group is targeting Beto O'Rourke for his vote on a $1.3 million spending package in March. See what you need to know about Beto O'Rourke, Ted Cruz's Democrat challenger. The Koch brother's political advocacy group is targeting Beto O'Rourke for his vote on a $1.3 million spending package in March. See what you need to know about Beto O'Rourke, Ted Cruz's Democrat challenger. Photo: Paul Zimmerman / Contributor - Bill Clark / Contributor Photo: Paul Zimmerman / Contributor - Bill Clark / Contributor Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close In a tight race, billionaire Koch brothers take aim at Beto O'Rourke 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

Beto O'Rourke is ruffling some big feathers.

The El Paso congressman and Democratic candidate for Texas Senator recently caught the attention of one of the nation's most influential right-wing organizations.

Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the billionaire Koch brothers, announced Thursday a six-figure ad campaign targetting lawmakers who voted for a $1.3 trillion spending package earlier this year.

"It's time to take a hard look at what lawmakers say, and what they actually do when it comes to reining in overspending," said AFP spokesman Bill Riggs. "The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress in March showed a complete disregard for fiscal responsibility. Both parties are responsible for putting the country on an unsustainable fiscal path, which is why AFP is committed to holding both parties accountable."

The spending package, which passed with bipartisan majorities in Congress, averted a government shutdown by providing funding for border security, NASA and measures to prevent mass shootings.

As a matter of National Security I've signed the Omnibus Spending Bill. I say to Congress: I will NEVER sign another bill like this again. To prevent this omnibus situation from ever happening again, I'm calling on Congress to give me a line-item veto for all govt spending bills! https://t.co/kYwMk5AE5k — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018

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Starting Memorial Day weekend, AFP's campaign will negatively target lawmakers who voted for the package with radio, print, digital, and direct mail ads.

An example of one of the ads set to run against O'Rourke shows a picture of the congressman with the words: "What are you waiting for, Beto?"

Photo: AFP AFP

Aside from O'Rourke, the Koch brothers will also take aim at John Carter (R) of Round Rock and Henry Cuellar (D) of Laredo.

While the ads may seem relatively harmless, AFP's track record for influencing politics in the U.S. is no joke.

Started by David Koch in 2004, the rightwing organization is widely credited with organizing and funding the Tea Party movement.

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In 2010, Barrack Obama criticized the group following the Supreme Court's decision on Citizen United, a landmark case that allowed corporations to write checks to influence elections.

"Right now all around this country there are groups with harmless-sounding names like Americans for Prosperity, who are running millions of dollars of ads against Democratic candidates all across the country," Obama said. "And they don't have to say who exactly the Americans for Prosperity are."

"You don't know if it's a foreign-controlled corporation," he said. "You don't know if it's a big oil company, or a big bank."

One of the group's biggest feats: turning Republicans off to climate change science.

"The vast majority of people who are involved in the [Republican] nominating process—the conventions and the primaries—are suspect of the science. And that's our influence," Tim Phillips, president of AFP, boasted in 2011. "Groups like Americans for Prosperity have done it."

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In a race that's too close to call, there's no doubt that every penny counts— especially in a closely-watched contest that symbolizes a turning point for the Lone Star State.

"That race is emblematic of the way things have changed in Texas, where we're finally seeing some serious political talent challenge the current order," wrote the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board on Thursday. "That alone gives voters across the political spectrum good reason not only to sit up and pay attention, but also to register and vote."

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.