Shawn GriffithsThe Daily Caller (TheDC)
reported Thursday that billionaire David Koch has pledged "tens of millions of dollars" to support Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson in the 2016 election. This information reportedly was provided by a source within the Johnson campaign.
TheDC reports:
"Koch’s money will be made available should Johnson, a former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, secure his second consecutive Libertarian Party presidential nomination, the source said.
The Libertarians will select their presidential ticket during the party’s national convention later this month in Orlando.
When asked about Koch’s eight-figure pledge to support Johnson, a source close to David Koch did not deny that such an agreement is in place."
Neither Koch's office nor Johnson campaign manager Ron Nielson are denying that the agreement has been made but Koch's office will not go on record with a statement just yet, and Johnson's campaign will not publicly confirm endorsement commitments ahead of the convention.
Johnson recently announced that his running mate will be former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, a twice-elected Republican with libertarian leanings. Weld also has connection to casino mogul Steve Wynn, who previously endorsed Donald Trump, but could shift his support for the Johnson ticket.
“People are upset and are looking for an alternative to the broken two party system,” said Nevada Libertarian Party Chairman Brett H. Pojunis.
“If the Libertarian candidate is successful raising money, the media will have a hard time ignoring that candidate,” according to Pojunis. “Especially with a public hungry for an alternative to two of the most polarizing figures in American political history.”