--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Kochs are very much involved in this…" description: "\"The Kochs are very much involved in this election, not backing [Donald] Trump but backing everything down the ballot from him. They're pouring money in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/jane-mayer-1031_ballots_the-kochs-are-very-much-involved-in-this_1367356.png" --- # The Kochs are very much involved in this election, not… ![“The Kochs are very much involved in this election, not backing [Donald] Trump but backing everything down the ballot from him. They're pouring money into capturing the Senate and the House of Representatives, and state Houses across the country.” quote by Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/jane-mayer-1031_ballots_the-kochs-are-very-much-involved-in-this_1367356.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/jane-mayer-1031_ballots_the-kochs-are-very-much-involved-in-this_1367356.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/jane-mayer-1031_ballots_the-kochs-are-very-much-involved-in-this_1367356.png) > “The Kochs are very much involved in this election, not backing \[Donald\] Trump but backing everything down the ballot from him. They're pouring money into capturing the Senate and the House of Representatives, and state Houses across the country.” [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Koch family heavily finances down‑ballot races, influencing elections beyond the presidential level. **In simple terms:** Kochs fund many political races. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden political influence. Themes politics money electione Mood analytical concerned Type journalistic informative When to use this quote - voter education - policy advocacy - media analysis Key Concepts political science campaign finance Questions to Reflect On - How does money shape political outcomes? - What reforms could limit such influence? A Different Perspective Money does not guarantee electoral success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballots/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [House of representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-of-representatives/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives/) [Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate/) ## Related quotes > [I believe most of the public should be involved in the election of the leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzipi-livni/i-believe-most-of-the-public-should-be-involved-in-the-election-of/) [Tzipi Livni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzipi-livni/) > [Donald Trump's not backing down. Yesterday he said he doesn't need to be lectured by the other Republican candidates, who he says have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/donald-trump-s-not-backing-down-yesterday-he-said-he-doesn-t-need-to/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [“The Kochs’ extensive research had shown that what the American “customer” wanted from politics, alas, was quite different from their business-dominated free-market orthodoxy. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-kochs-extensive-research-had-shown-that-what-the-american/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“from 2005 to 2008, a single source, the Kochs, poured almost $25 million into dozens of different organizations fighting climate reform.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/from-2005-to-2008-a-single-source-the-kochs-poured-almost-25-million/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ I would argue that there's been a backlash this year \[2016\]. They \[the Kochs\] pushed the \[Republican\] party too far right. The other thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/i-would-argue-that-there-s-been-a-backlash-this-year-2016-they-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ \[Donald\] Trump has put forward a list of people he would like to see on the Supreme Court, whom the Kochs would be very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/donald-trump-has-put-forward-a-list-of-people-he-would-like-to-see-on/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ They \[the Kochs\] want free trade and cheap labour. They own the second-largest private company in America, which is a huge multinational corporation. So… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/they-the-kochs-want-free-trade-and-cheap-labour-they-own-the-second/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“To this end, the Kochs waged a long and remarkable battle of ideas. They subsidized networks of seemingly unconnected think tanks and academic programs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/to-this-end-the-kochs-waged-a-long-and-remarkable-battle-of-ideas/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“it’s a major accomplishment for sponsors like the Kochs that they’ve turned corporate self-interest into a movement among people on the streets.” While”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/it-s-a-major-accomplishment-for-sponsors-like-the-kochs-that-they-ve/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“it was the first time a major corporation used a tax-exempt nonprofit as a front group or, as he put it, “a cutout to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/it-was-the-first-time-a-major-corporation-used-a-tax-exempt-nonprofit/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [So you've got these regular, middle-class voters who don't hate the government as much as the Kochs do. They're Republicans, but they still want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/so-you-ve-got-these-regular-middle-class-voters-who-don-t-hate-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [The great unknown in this country is where this leaves the Republican Party after this election. Will it be the party of the Kochs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-great-unknown-in-this-country-is-where-this-leaves-the-republican/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“To “earn the respect and good feeling” of those whose support they needed, Fink went on to explain during his talk, the Kochs would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/to-earn-the-respect-and-good-feeling-of-those-whose-support-they/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ This year \[2016\] we're seeing a really strange upending \[of the party\]. The money was coming from these super-wealthy donors who were really on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/this-year-2016-we-re-seeing-a-really-strange-upending-of-the-party/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ \[The Kochs\] they hate big government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-kochs-they-hate-big-government/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## More by Jane Mayer > [“David Brock, a conservative apostate who became a liberal activist, described the Heritage Foundation, where he was a young fellow, as almost completely under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/david-brock-a-conservative-apostate-who-became-a-liberal-activist/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“The early think tank was not a spy operation, but it was funded by wealthy men who had no objections to using pretexts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-early-think-tank-was-not-a-spy-operation-but-it-was-funded-by/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Americans for Prosperity annoyed some of the Tea Partiers,” recalls the libertarian blogger Ralph Benko. “These people drove up, opened the door, put T-shirts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/americans-for-prosperity-annoyed-some-of-the-tea-partiers-recalls-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“When Barack Obama took office, the fossil fuel industry was not only eager to preserve its perks but also more militant in its opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/when-barack-obama-took-office-the-fossil-fuel-industry-was-not-only/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [If you have an informed electorate, it makes great choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/if-you-have-an-informed-electorate-it-makes-great-choices/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ One of the oddities of this election is the man that \[Donald\] Trump chose as his vice-president, Mike Pence, is one of the Kochs'… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/one-of-the-oddities-of-this-election-is-the-man-that-donald-trump/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“The candidates promised to cut taxes for those in the highest brackets, preserve Wall Street loopholes, tolerate the off-shoring of manufacturing jobs and profits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-candidates-promised-to-cut-taxes-for-those-in-the-highest/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Amway in fact was structured to avoid federal taxes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/amway-in-fact-was-structured-to-avoid-federal-taxes/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“radicals in Congress refused to back down, bringing virtually the entire federal government to a halt for sixteen days in October, leaving the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/radicals-in-congress-refused-to-back-down-bringing-virtually-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [What I write about is how much influence it's had in things like state legislatures and governorships and congressional races. The other thing that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/what-i-write-about-is-how-much-influence-it-s-had-in-things-like/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Two months into their tenure, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee also led a crusade against alternative, renewable energy programs. They successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/two-months-into-their-tenure-republicans-on-the-house-energy-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ \[The Kochs\] they hate big government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-kochs-they-hate-big-government/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, explains that private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/rob-reich-a-professor-of-political-science-at-stanford-university-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“During the previous eight years of Republican rule, this conservative corporate elite had consolidated its power, amassing enormous sway over the U.S. government’s regulatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/during-the-previous-eight-years-of-republican-rule-this-conservative/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Noble again chose Larry McCarthy, the veteran media consultant who was known for his ability to distill a complicated subject into a simple, potent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/noble-again-chose-larry-mccarthy-the-veteran-media-consultant-who-was/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) [Explore all 305 Jane Mayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## More Ballots quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/) [Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [If you don't know, your labor unions and community organizations, there's somebody you can ask to guide you. A lot of people, especially in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/if-you-don-t-know-your-labor-unions-and-community-organizations-there/) [Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/) > [Models: I'm not voting for you for any stupid magazine list! If you were really that Hot you wouldn't have to beg the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/models-i-m-not-voting-for-you-for-any-stupid-magazine-list-if-you/) [Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/) > [I think it's best if there's an amendment that goes on the ballot where the people can weigh in. Every time this issue has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/i-think-it-s-best-if-there-s-an-amendment-that-goes-on-the-ballot/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [Just as feudalism was an advance over slavery, and capitalism was the next step after feudalism, socialism is the next step after capitalism…...Socialism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-hall/just-as-feudalism-was-an-advance-over-slavery-and-capitalism-was-the/) [Gus Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-hall/) > [The Family of Man is more than 3 billion strong. It lives in more than 100 nations. Most of its members are not white.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-family-of-man-is-more-than-3-billion-strong-it-lives-in-more-than/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Barack Obama thinks he's universally loved and adored because of that approval rating, which is a lie or a misrepresentation. It's mainly people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/barack-obama-thinks-he-s-universally-loved-and-adored-because-of-that/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Exxon, Coca-Cola, BHP Billiton and News Corporation have much more say in organising the global agenda than the planet's 5 billion mature-age voters without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-brown/exxon-coca-cola-bhp-billiton-and-news-corporation-have-much-more-say/) [Bob Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-brown/) > [Unless they can pass the same test that immigrants must pass to become citizens, people shouldnt be allowed to vote. The idea that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-reese/unless-they-can-pass-the-same-test-that-immigrants-must-pass-to/) [Charley Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-reese/) > [It’ll be the ballot or it’ll be the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death. And if you’re not ready to pay that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/it-ll-be-the-ballot-or-it-ll-be-the-bullet-it-ll-be-liberty-or-it-ll/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Too many of us dissipate our energy by being 'for all good causes,' attending meetings and passing resolutions, organizing and presenting petitions — all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammon-hennacy/too-many-of-us-dissipate-our-energy-by-being-for-all-good-causes/) [Ammon Hennacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammon-hennacy/) > [To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/to-give-victory-to-the-right-not-bloody-bullets-but-peaceful-ballots/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The establishment Republicans are beginning to say on the record what they had been whispering about in private for months: that Donald Trump at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/the-establishment-republicans-are-beginning-to-say-on-the-record-what/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) [Browse all 274 Ballots quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballots/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Kochs are very much involved in this election, not backing [Donald] Trump but backing everything down the ballot from him. 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