They are the bogeymen of the left, blamed for everything that ails America. But make no mistake, the financial force that is the Koch brothers is real and that is why their potential to rally around Carly Fiorina is so significant. As Reuters reports, the Koch Brothers have Fiorina on a short list of candidates they are considering backing:

Fiorina's show-stealing performance in a Republican presidential debate last month, and her subsequent surge in the polls, has prompted industrialists Charles and David Koch to take a “serious look” at the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, according to three sources close to the brothers.

She has now moved to the short list of candidates the Kochs may support with their reported $1 billion war chest, the sources said. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is among those on the coveted list, the sources said.

If the Koch Brothers move to Fiorina, or any other candidate, they also bring with them the heft of other big donors aligned with them:

As Fiorina's money problems fade, some high dollar donors who have already contributed are now considering doubling down. Dallas philanthropist Elloine Clark has so far written one $100,000 check to the Super PAC supporting Fiorina. She says she may give more. “I think she’s unflappable,” said Clark. “And she doesn’t react like an adolescent.”

Fiorina is also attracting the attention of the likes of Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens and others excited over her performance at the debate and on the campaign trail.