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Americans for Prosperity has wasted no time entering the 2014 midterm election fray. Founded by industrialists David and Charles Koch in 2004, the conservative advocacy group has spent a lot of ad money targeting vulnerable Democrats.
The group is a 501(c)(4), a non-profit social welfare organization that is legally permitted to engage in political activities. That means it need not disclose donations it receives. Unlike PACs, however, 501(c)(4)s cannot spend the majority of their resources to further political goals.
We’ve seen a pattern of the group using Democrats’ favorable positions on President Barack Obama’s health care reform law as a lynchpin for their attacks.
We’ve fact-checked a few of the group’s claims recently. We’ll link you to the full explanation for each of our ratings and our sourcing for each claim:
Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., supports Obamacare waivers and special treatment for Congress.
--Oct. 29, 2013 in an ad
More than 1,000 companies have gotten one-year waivers for Obamacare, but we found no evidence they went to the president’s "friends." Plus, as the law applies to Congress, they’re being forced off their insurance to shop for plans on the marketplace. We rated the claim False.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., backs Obamacare even as it decreases full-time employment.
-- Oct. 29, 2013 in an ad
We found that employers are limiting hours of workers that already aren’t considered full-time, more so than cutting back on full-time jobs. Experts attribute higher part-time employment rates to the recession and weak recovery, not the health care law. We rated the claim Mostly False.
Rep. Patrick Murphy,D-Fla., flip-flopped in votes on health care.
-- July 23, 2013, in a press release
Americans for Prosperity called out the wrong Patrick Murphy. The 2010 vote mistakenly refers to Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa. The Floridian Murphy did support a one-year delay of Obamacare, but not a total repeal of the law that House Republicans pushed for this summer and fall. We rated the claim Mostly False.
In addition to lambasting specific candidates, Americans For Prosperity has attacked Obamacare in general:
Premiums will rise under Obamacare.
--July 7, 2013 in an ad
Experts agree that some people who buy insurance individually will see rate increases, but for many, they’ll be able to buy cheaper insurance than before. The AFP cherry-picked stories and facts to make their point. We rated the claim Half True.
Our Sources
See individual fact-checks for complete sourcing.
