Americans for Prosperity builds political machine
Over scrambled eggs and croquettes, Andres Malave gave a last-minute pep talk to about a dozen volunteers in a Cuban restaurant before they left to meet voters.
"Don't just deliver a message," he said before beginning his own 3½-hour shift knocking on doors. "Try to get them engaged."
It's a strategy playing out in New England diners, Midwest truck stops and West Coast cafes: conservative organizers train and send out thousands of volunteers holding an iPad and an interest in helping fellow activists shift America's politics to the right.
They are the backbone of Americans for Prosperity, the flagship organization of the political network backed by industrialist billionaires Charles and David Koch. While the group's spending in Senate races has attracted national attention, it's these less noticed field efforts that could have greater impact and help reshape the Republican Party heading into the 2016 presidential election.
The organization has more than 500 paid workers in 35 states and has become one of the conservative movement's best organized, most powerful outside groups. Building on the community-based approach President Barack Obama used successfully in 2008 and 2012, it now has a political footprint unmatched among GOP-affiliated operations and is racking up legislative victories.
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