Americans for Prosperity
| Americans for Prosperity | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Arlington, Virginia |
| Type: | 501(c)(4) |
| Top official: | Emily Seidel, President and CEO |
| Year founded: | 2004 |
| Website: | Official website |
Americans For Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004 by David Koch, is a 501(c)(4) political advocacy group based in Arlington, Virginia. AFP has described itself as "an organization of grassroots leaders who engage citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state, and federal levels."[1][2]
Mission
As of December 2021, AFP included the following statement on their website:[3]
| “ |
Americans for Prosperity is dedicated to the belief that every person has a unique set of gifts and the ability to contribute to society in their own way, an idea that has inspired progress since our country’s founding. Driven by this belief, Americans for Prosperity engages in broad-based grassroots outreach to advocate for long-term solutions to the country’s biggest problems that prevent people from realizing their incredible potential — unsustainable government spending and debt, a broken immigration system, a rigged economy, and a host of other issues you can explore. American for Prosperity activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in advancing a free and open society, where every person can realize their American dream. We recruit and unite concerned individuals in all 50 states to advance policies that will help people improve their lives.[4] |
” |
Political activity
Elections
2014 elections
Endorsed candidates
In the 2014 election cycle, Americans for Prosperity supported the following candidates:[5]
West Virginia
Americans for Prosperity launched a $30,000 radio ad attacking incumbent Nick Rahall on February 10, 2014.[6]
Florida
Americans for Prosperity released several ads in 2013, including one thanking Steve Southerland for opposing the Affordable Care Act, that highlighted the glitches on the new health-care exchanges Web site.[7] The ads were part of a multi-wave campaign totaling more than $2 million.[7]
The group released a second ad in February 2014, "Steve Southerland Didn't Fall for the Lie of the Year," which cast Southerland as a steadfast opponent of Obamacare. It ran for three weeks in the district and cost an estimated $160,000.[8][9]
The group released another ad on April 1, 2014, that again thanked Southerland for his opposition to Obamacare.[10] The ad asserted the law was not working, but did not mention repeal.[10]
2013 elections
South Carolina
Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford raised $334,397 over January and February 2013 in his bid for the South Carolina House seat.[11] David Koch, who launched the conservative outside group Americans for Prosperity, gave $2,500 to Sanford’s House campaign.
2012 elections
According to OpenSecrets.org, Americans for Prosperity spent $11,291 in the 2012 election cycle.[5]
Endorsed candidates
In the 2012 election cycle, the Americans for Prosperity supported the following candidates:[5]
Ballot measure activity
2010
- Arizona Sales Tax Increase, Proposition 100 (May 2010)
- Opposed California Proposition 21, Vehicle License Fee Increase for State Parks Initiative (2010)
2009
In 2009 in Oregon, the state AFP chapter organized opposition to Ted Kulongoski's $733 million tax hike by supporting efforts to qualify the Oregon Tax Increase Vote, Ballot Measures 66 and 67 (2010) for the ballot.[12]
Defending the Dream summit
AFP hosted an event in Washington, D.C., entitled, "Defending the American Dream Summit" on October 5, 2007. The topic of the debate was government spending and taxation. Presidential candidates attending included Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, Sam Brownback, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. Other speakers included John Stossel, Dinesh D'Souza, Art Laffer, John Fund, Steve Moore, Herman Cain, Dr. Barry Poulson, and AFP founder David H. Koch.
Leadership
As of December 2021, Americans for Prosperity listed the following leadership figures on its website:[3]
- President and CEO: Emily Seidel
- Executive Vice President: Nathan Nascimento
- Senior vice president of grassroots: Chase Downham
- Senior vice president of policy: Jorge Lima
- Chief government affairs officer: Brent Gardner
- Vice president of state operations: Derrick Sontag
- Senior Vice President of Legal and Judicial Strategy: Casey Mattox
The organization listed the following board members:[3]
- Mark Holden (chair)
- James Davis (director)
Noteworthy events
John Doe investigations
Two John Doe investigations, beginning in 2010 and ending in 2015, were launched by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm (D) into the activities of staff and associates of Gov. Scott Walker (R).[13] Americans for Prosperity was one of 29 conservative organizations that were targeted during the course of the second investigation.[14][15]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Americans + for + Prosperity"
- All stories may not be relevant to this organization due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
External links
- Social media:
- Endorsements and ratings:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ FactCheck.org, "Americans for Prosperity," February 7, 2014
- ↑ Americans for Prosperity, "About AFP," archived November 20, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Americans for Prosperity, "About," accessed December 2, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Open Secrets, "Americans for Prosperity," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "Obama commits to at least 18 Democratic fundraisers—Jindal warns of ‘modern left’ at Reagan Library—FL-13 polls show Sink in the lead—Friday standings—Beyer gets a new endorsement in VA-08," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Washington Post, "Conservative group launches House ads hitting Obamacare Web site glitches," accessed October 24, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "AFP boosts vulnerable Steve Southerland," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/197430-koch-backed-group-buys-150k-in-southerland-district," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tampa Bay Times, "Americans for Prosperity launches ad thanking Southerland for Obamacare opposition," accessed April 2, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "Koch brother donates to Mark Sanford" accessed March 11, 2013
- ↑ The recession session is over
- ↑ United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Milwaukee Division, "Eric O’Keefe, and Wisconsin Club for Growth, Inc.," accessed February 23, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Watchdog, "Wall Street Journal: GAB targeted conservative justices in John Doe defense," September 17, 2015
- ↑ Eric O'Keefe v. Francis Schmitz, et al., "Complaint," accessed September 16, 2015
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