Report: Koch brothers taking ‘serious look’ at Fiorina

Billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch are taking a “serious look” at GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, Reuters reports, citing unidentified sources close to the mega-donors.

{mosads}The brothers are eyeing the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard following her high-profile performance in the second GOP debate last month, according to the news service.

Fiorina, along with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), are reportedly among those on a short list of potential candidates the Kochs may support. Rubio has also risen in polls in recent weeks.

Reuters noted that a Koch Industries PAC helped sponsor a fundraiser for Fiorina’s 2010 Senate run in California and donated $10,000 to her campaign against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Spokespeople for the Kochs and Fiorina declined to comment for the report.

The former business executive is second only to Donald Trump in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, trailing the billionaire by 5 points there in a poll released Sunday.

Fiorina also comes in third in the crowded GOP field in Iowa, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll found, following Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

–Updated: 4 p.m.