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Charles Koch addresses major donors at the conservative Seminar Network retreat in July 2018 in Colorado Springs. (Photo provided by Seminar Network)

Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the Koch political network, will endorse Walker Stapleton in the governor’s race along with two state Senate candidates, The Colorado Sun has learned.

The organization, backed by The Seminar Network, an effort led by conservative billionaire Charles Koch, is preparing to spend significant sums to elect Stapleton and keep the state Senate in Republican hands through an independent expenditure committee.

The Stapleton endorsement, which is expected later this week, comes after The Sun broke the news in July that the Koch network was likely to back him.

AFP will focus most of its money and time at the legislative level to help Republican Sen. Tim Neville in District 16 and to elect Christine Jensen in the open District 20 race, a seat now held by outgoing independent Sen. Cheri Jahn.

This story first appeared in The Colorado Sun’s politics newsletter, The Unaffiliated. You can subscribe here: cosun.co/theunaffiliated.

John Frank is a former Colorado Sun staff writer. He left the publication in January 2021.