Shocker: David Koch Supports Marriage Equality

Although David Koch and his brother Charles are spending millions to elect Republican candidates, David has a significant difference with the party.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

August 30 2012 8:56 PM EST

August 22 2019 9:10 PM EST

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Billionaire businessman David Koch, who with his brother Charles is spending millions to elect Republican candidates, made a shocking statement today: He supports marriage equality.

This means Koch differs in a major way with the official platform the Republican Party adopted this week at its national convention. In an interview with Politico, he said, "I believe in gay marriage," and he stated that he disagrees with the party platform.

In 1980 Koch was the vice-presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, which is "socially liberal -- but fiscally conservative," as Politico notes. He considers himself a dedicated Republican now, however, despite his break with the party on some issues. He told Politico that in addition to favoring marriage equality, he departs from the Republican orthodoxy by believing it may be necessary to consider raising taxes and cutting defense spending to balance the federal budget.

Koch, a delegate to the convention from New York, spoke to Politico after a reception today in which he was honored by Americans for Prosperity, the political action group he chairs. In hopes of electing Mitt Romney as president and numerous Republicans to Congress, the group has bankrolled numerous ads attacking President Obama and Democratic congressional candidates.