(CNN)As the Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid has loved nothing more than attacking the Koch brothers and their influence over politics.
Now Democrats have to decide how to wage that battle without him.
Heading into last year's elections, the Nevada Democrat delighted in repeatedly slamming Charles and David Koch -- using the Senate floor to call them "un-American" and accuse them of "trying to buy America" -- as he flaunted the mega-donors' ties to the GOP. But many of the candidates backed by the Kochs won in 2014, Democrats lost control of the Senate, and Reid will retire at the end of next year.
Setbacks aside, Reid insists he has no regrets about his strategy and doesn't plan to back down during his remaining time on Capitol Hill. In a brief interview recently, he told CNN he will go after the Kochs "as much as I can" before retiring.
But once he's gone, will a new Democratic ringleader take over Reid's mission of casting the Kochs as modern political villains?
Sen. Chuck Schumer, in line to take Reid's job in 2017, declined to comment when asked about the Koch brothers. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin said his party shouldn't "ever back away" from scrutinizing the Kochs. But pressed on whether he has any interest in assuming Reid's role of chief antagonist, the senator from Illinois chuckled: "It isn't as though Harry hands the baton off to anyone."
Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic presidential front-runner, has yet to mention the Kochs publicly since launching her second White House bid. She has, however, indicated plans to help raise money for a pro-Clinton super PAC that Democrats hope could rival the Kochs' fundraising prowess.
Meanwhile, the Kochs are doubling down.
The billionaire industrialists seem more eager than ever to flex their muscles in 2016, an election cycle that is certain to cement their status as two of the most powerful Republican donors in an era of virtually unlimited outside political spending.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/28/politics/koch-brothers-2016/index.html
