Story highlights
David Koch is pro-choice and supports gay rights, but not Democrats
Koch is one of the country's top political donors and gives largely to Republicans
The libertarian supports a balanced budget
David Koch, one of America’s richest businessmen and largest political donors, says he is just fine with giving money to candidates who hold different social views than he does because its his economic concerns that matter most.
“I’m basically a libertarian. And I’m a conservative on economic matters and I’m a social liberal,” he told ABC’s Barbara Walters in an interview that aired on “This Week.”
Koch, who supports gay rights and women’s right to choose, said if candidates he gives to don’t share those ideals, “That’s their problem. I do have those views.”
“What I want these candidates to do is to support a balanced budget,” Koch said. “I’m really focused intensely on economic and fiscal issues, because if those go bad the country as a whole suffers terribly.”
Koch and his brother, Charles, are top executives and board members of Koch Industries, a multinational corporation that is largely involved in manufacturing, energy, trade and investments. Collectively, the Koch brothers have spent millions of dollars of their personal wealth to promote a small government, free-market agenda.
Often criticized by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, for his vast campaign spending, Koch said he plays fair and by the rules of the game.
“I contribute to public candidate campaigns and there is a federal limit on how much you can contribute to each individual candidate,” Koch said. “They have a law in that regard and I feel that I’m doing it properly.