If Mitt Romney wants to thank the funders behind outside groups that are blasting President Obama with television advertising, he'll have the chance at the Republican National Convention later this month.
That's because David Koch, the billionaire industrialist who has poured millions of dollars into conservative political causes, will be among the delegates formally voting to hand Romney the party's nomination.
The New York Republican Party listed Koch as one of the state's 34 at-large delegates on a roster provided by the party.
Koch, whose position atop Koch Industries gives him a net worth that Forbes estimates at $25 billion, has fueled tens of millions of dollars into philanthropies in New York City. But he's best known in the political world as the driving force behind Americans for Prosperity, the 501(c)(4) organization that claims nearly 2 million members who advocate for conservative causes.
The group has already spent more than $17 million on television campaign advertisements this year alone. Earlier this week, AFP announced it would spend an additional $25 million on a monthlong advertising buy in 11 battleground states.
A spokesman for Koch Industries didn't respond to several inquiries about whether David Koch would actually attend the festivities.
But if he does head to Tampa, Fla., Koch will join one of the more prestigious delegations at the convention. New York will send such big-name Republican as Al D'Amato, Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki, Georgette Mosbacher, Romney adviser Dan Senor, and even former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, now a New York resident.
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