This article was first published by the Center for Responsive Politics [3].

By Karl Evers-Hillstrom

The Charles Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity is running ads backing Republican senators, marking the first election-related spending of the cycle for the Koch network that has undergone significant restructuring this year.

Americans for Prosperity Action [4], the Koch network's super PAC arm, reported making nearly $230,000 [5] in independent expenditures last week to boost Republican senators who face reelection battles in 2020.

The ads heap praise on Sens. Thom Tillis [6] (R-N.C.), John Cornyn [7] (R-Texas), Cory Gardner [8] (R-Colo.) and David Perdue [9] (R-Ga.), each of whom will be Democratic targets next November. Tillis, whose favorability numbers [10] are poor, received the biggest boost in the form of a $140,500 ad buy.

"His vote let families keep more of their hard-earned money, providing relief for taxpayers," the ad says [11], touting Tillis' vote for the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Absent are Sens. Susan Collins [12] (R-Maine) and Joni Ernst [13] (R-Iowa), top Democratic targets [14] who are being supported by conservative "dark money" group One Nation [15].

The political ads come amid major changes to the Koch network, which has struggled to get its message through to President Donald Trump [16] on key issues such as trade and immigration. The network of anonymous conservative donors underwent major changes [17] in May, ending its longtime dark money group Freedom Partners and launching a new nonprofit organization called Stand Together.

Americans for Prosperity announced in a June memo [18] that it would focus more on nonpartisan solutions and suggested it would be open to backing Democrats [19] in primary races. In August, David Koch, a major figure in the conservative network, died after a long illness.

Charles Koch has said he is less interested [20] in electoral politics than his late brother David. Until November, Americans for Prosperity ran issue ads railing against corporate welfare, opposing single-payer healthcare, warning about the national debt and urging lawmakers to protect Dreamers and not to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, among other things.

But the group's recent ads show that the Koch network won't stop spending big to elect Republicans, particularly those who are key to maintaining a Republican majority in the Senate. Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity have spent more than $120 million supporting Republican candidates or opposing Democratic candidates. That doesn't include unreported spending on "issue ads" meant to bolster or harm a candidate without expressly advocating for or against their election.

Freedom Partners [21]' super PAC arm transferred its remaining $6.5 million to Americans for Prosperity this year, and Koch Industries [22] added another $1 million to the election-focused super PAC.

Although Trump has lambasted the Koch network [23], calling them a "total joke in Republican circles" in July 2018, the network's finances tell a different story. Americans for Prosperity's 501(c)(4) arm reported raising nearly $97 million in 2018, a major increase from previous years, according to tax returns [24] obtained by OpenSecrets.

The Koch-backed State Policy Network reported record revenue - totaling nearly $17 million - in its tax filings [25]. And Charles Koch's institute [26] and foundation [27] continue to pour millions into conservative causes.

"We've made more progress in the past five years than I’ve made in the previous 50," Koch told supporters last year [28]. "We're just getting started because we have more opportunities in front of us than I ever imagined."