"... a potential sign that conservatives are worried about Republicans' chances of winning the Senate majority."

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Koch-backed group plans direct attacks in Senate races
By Fredreka Schouten, October 2, 2014

A non-profit group affiliated with the Koch brothers has shifted tactics during the final weeks of the midterm campaign and will call directly for the defeat of Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate in its advertising and door-to-door outreach to voters.

Americans for Prosperity's decision to move to pointed attacks is significant because it shifts the group into more direct political activity — something tax-exempt organizations are required to limit. It also means the group must disclose its election-related activity — though not its donors — to federal regulators.

It's a potential sign that conservatives are worried about Republicans' chances of winning the Senate majority. GOP-aligned outside groups have stepped up in their advertising in recent weeks in several key battlegrounds, including Iowa where Republican Joni Ernst and Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley are fighting for an open Democratic post.

The GOP needs to net six seats to seize control of the Senate.

"We feel this course of action is necessary to take," AFP President Tim Phillips said. "We think it's time for this Harry Reid big government majority to go," he said, referring to the Nevada Democrat who serves as the Senate's majority leader.

Phillips would not say how much the group will spend in the coming weeks, but "it will be significant, and it will be millions of dollars."

The new tactic, first reported by The New York Times, is a departure from the organization's normal mode of operation, which has included running ads that denounce Senate Democrats for their votes on issues such as the Affordable Care Act without specifically calling for the election or defeat of any candidate.

"Instead of saying, 'Hold Kay Hagan accountable for Obamacare,' we'll now say, 'We need to get Kay Hagan out of office,' " AFP spokesman Levi Russell said, referring to North Carolina's first-term Democratic senator.

The more pointed attacks will come in key Senate battlegrounds such as Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina, Alaska and Louisiana, Phillips said. The group will not endorse any Republican candidates.

Americans for Prosperity is one of the most active groups in the conservative political network organized by industrialists Charles and David Koch and employs 500 field staff in 35 states.
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