Group funded by Koch brothers concerns area Democrats - THonline.com: Tri-state News

Koch Brother aims in Iowa seem long term and local.

BY WILLIAM GARBE WILLIAM.GARBE@THMEDIA.COM Telegraph Herald

Americans for Prosperity has ramped up its focus on local politics, concerning many within the Dubuque County Democratic Party.

In little more than three months, the political group backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch has established a Dubuque office, held a local town hall meeting with two prominent conservatives and run a six-week, 25-person course on conservative leadership, which ended Tuesday.

"We hope that we're making the right people nervous on both sides of the aisle," said Drew Klein, AFP's Des Moines-based state director. "There's no shortage of projects to be worked on."

The group's rise has tipped off disquiet within the leadership ranks of the Dubuque County Democratic Party.

"All of us on the Democratic Party executive committee have been very concerned about it," said Walt Pregler, chairman of the county Democratic Party.

 

IOWA NOW IS A MAJOR AFP FOCUS

AFP has operated on the national stage for more than a decade, with state-level organizing that originally focused on Wisconsin, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas, Klein said. Before reaching Iowa, AFP organized in about 25 other states.

"You've got to be ready to run when you get to Iowa," he said.

While AFP favors federal candidates who align with its policies -- U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-Dubuque, for example, receives a perfect score from the group -- the organization in recent years has turned to state government as a quicker, easier way to change policy.

"States a lot of times get overlooked, but that's where you see a lot of the variation in public policy," said Christopher Larimer, a political-science associate professor at the University of Northern Iowa. "I think it's a case where you have a state (Iowa) that's very competitive, and I think AFP probably sees this state as a pick-up."

AFP's focus on Dubuque has increased in the past several months. In June, the organization hosted a town hall meeting at Hotel Julien Dubuque with Iowa talk radio host Simon Conway and Sioux City conservative Sam Clovis, a former Rick Perry state chairman who is now a top adviser to Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

By early July, AFP opened a Dubuque field office at 1108 Locust St., the site of the former Naughty Dog Coffee Bar.

At that time, the organization announced plans to coordinate a "Grassroots Leadership Academy" in Dubuque. The six-week course featured class topics such as "Making the Case for Economic Freedom," "Part 1: A Brief History of Grassroots Activism" and "Part 2: How the Left Operates."

IOWA SENATE JAMS AFP AGENDA

AFP has issued a five-pronged agenda under the name "Reform Iowa," and Klein estimates the organization will stick with the model for at least five years -- past the 2018 Iowa Senate election. The focus of the reform effort is on education, spending, taxes, regulations and labor.

But advancing AFP's policy proposals would almost certainly require a change in the Iowa Senate, which is under the Democratic leadership of Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque.

For example, the organization proposes the introduction of "zero-base" budgeting, under which officials in each state government department would be required to "justify every dollar" it receives. A "zero-base" budgeting bill was passed last session in the Republican-controlled Iowa House but died without a vote in the Iowa Senate.

"They certainly would like to replace (Jochum) and replace the majority in the Iowa Senate, and they're going to have a tough time doing it," Pregler said. "I would assume she's the bull's-eye of the target."

Just who would challenge Jochum in 2018 is yet to be seen. Dubuque County GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Smith said she was unaware of potential GOP challengers at this time.

ORGANIZING MODEL KEY TO AFP

Right now, AFP leaders said they are focused on the leadership academy and building a base of volunteers. With an anticipated 31 paid workers in Iowa by 2016, AFP is smaller than the county-by-county apparatus of political party volunteers.

"We're also just arrogant enough to think we're more efficient with our resources than they are," Klein said.

Jochum points to previous organizing efforts in suburban Des Moines as evidence of the group's use of financial resources to improve upon the traditionally Democratic method of organizing voters.

"To me, it says Americans for Prosperity has figured out how Democrats do their work," Jochum said. "They are proving that they are putting together a very sophisticated, grass-roots, computer-generated system."

Jochum, Pregler and Democratic Party volunteer Sue Wilson all voiced concern about AFP's association with the Koch brothers.

"This is outside money that is trying to buy influence," Wilson said.

Klein pushed off the criticism, at once embracing the Koch brothers while asserting the group's independence.

"We're extremely grateful, but at the same time, they provide a sliver of financial support," Klein said. "I think what sets Dave and Charles apart is they work based on principle, not just business."

Klein said AFP has not yet focused its attention on targeting specific 2016 state and federal candidates, but the organization's efforts are aimed at long-term success.

"This is not going to be done in six months," Klein said. "This is bigger than just electing the right people."

Group funded by Koch brothers concerns area Democrats - THonline.com: Tri-state News