Here's good news: A U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan is struggling against her Teamster-endorsed opponent because of her links to the Koch brothers.
Gary Peters, according to a recent poll, is leading the Koch-supported candidate Terri Lynn Land. The Washington Post reported today,
Michigan voters view the Koch brothers unfavorably by more than two to one: 32-15. While it’s true that 33 percent have not heard of them, a total of 56 percent have heard of them, which is pretty high. A large majority finds the anti-Koch message — that Land is beholden to big oil billionaires bankrolling her campaign — convincing.
Gary Peters is one of the few Democratic candidates this cycle who has been talking about climate change, in part because the issue matters in Michigan, due to the Great Lakes’ importance to the state economy. The Koch brothers have also taken on unique environmentally-related importance here, because of the role of a Koch Industries affiliate in a major local story involving piles of petroleum coke along the Detroit River.
Peters has called on Land to clarify whether she believes in climate science, while tying her to the Koch brothers — as a beneficiary of all that Koch cash — and localizing the Koch/environmental nexus by hammering her over the pet-coke (call it Pet-Koch?) story.The Post notes that Peters has been talking about the Koch brothers more than any other Democratic candidate.
It's good to know that (at least in this race) linking a candidate to the Koch brothers is a liability. Generally, the Kochs benefit candidates more than harm them because of their massive financial support.
It's Koch money responsible for the anti-worker laws that have been passed in the states over the past few years. It's Koch money that's turning schools and prisons and highways into businesses. It's Koch money that's depriving Americans of the right to vote.
Let's hope the Michigan race is just the beginning of a Great Awakening.
