Republicans scoffed when Democrats first warned of the Koch brothers’ outsized influence on the political process. In a 2013 Concord Monitor op-ed, conservative commentator Grant Bosse equated the concerns with Tea Party paranoia over Agenda 21.
“Somehow the modern left has drawn itself deeper and deeper into a conspiracy theory that the Koch brothers are secretly controlling the entire Republican Party in an effort to bring about some sort of anarchist utopia,” he wrote.
Today, thanks primarily to progressive groups shining a light on the billionaires’ political machinations, Republicans have been forced to acknowledge the influence of the Koch brothers and to publicly embrace them.
Witness this week’s laudatory tribute from Republican gubernatorial candidate Andrew Hemingway. “I don’t care what the Democrats say about the Koch brothers,” he said. “Their contribution to this country and the conservative movement is second to none.”
When congressional candidate Marilinda Garcia traveled across the county to fundraise at the Koch brothers’ secret billionaire summit, her campaign manager justified it as a “wonderful opportunity to speak to some of the nation’s greatest business and philanthropic leaders.”
But even some Republicans now question the billionaires’ influence on Granite State politics. “Wonder where those millions and millions of dollars for her latest TV ads are coming from,” wrote state House Rep. Bob Elliott (R-Salem) in a Facebook message. “Certainly not New Hampshire voters, they only gave her $150,000 or so. Is it coming from the Koch Brothers?” Elliott asked. “You betcha.”
“Wonderful,” answered Rep. Glenn Cordelli (R-Tuftonboro). “A ‘Republican’ criticizing the Koch Brothers. Unreal.”