“I’m scared to look. You can quote me on that.”
— Democratic megadonor Tom Steyer, quoted by the Palm Springs Desert Sun, when asked how much he’ll spend on elections this year.
Billionaire Launches Effort to Boost Youth Vote
“Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist who spent millions to help elect Democrats in 2014, launched a $25 million campaign to drive the youth vote in November’s presidential and congressional elections,” USA Today reports.
“Steyer’s group, NextGen Climate, plans to target students on more than 200 college campuses in seven states that will be election battlegrounds in in November: Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, Illinois and Colorado.”
Steyer Not Ready to Back Clinton
Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer “said he is not yet prepared to back Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president and he would not rule out supporting her main rival, Bernie Sanders, if he beats her in the primaries,” Reuters reports.
Billionaire Activist Seeks to Brand GOP Candidates
“Billionaire Tom Steyer’s climate Super PAC is quietly drawing up plans to spend big money attacking Republican Senate and presidential candidates for their climate denialism — or, if you prefer, for their climate ‘skepticism’ — in the 2016 electoral cycle, according to someone briefed on NextGen’s evolving strategy. The plans will also include a major push to sell the positive attributes of clean energy to motivate core Democratic voters,” Greg Sargent reports.
Steyer Will Not Run for U.S. Senate
Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer (D) announced that he will “not be a candidate to succeed U.S. Senate Barbara Boxer and instead will continue his focus on helping Democrats and working to reverse the effects of global climate change,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Steyer Mulls One Term Pledge
“Tom Steyer, the billionaire climate change activist weighing a run for U.S. Senate, is telling potential supporters he would commit to serving only one term if he can’t reach goals dealing with the environment, economy and education within six years,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
Team Cincinnatus
Political Blotter has a poll commissioned by Tom Steyer (D) last month gauging his chances in a race for U.S. Senate in California.
But this was most amusing: “Lest anyone worry how healthy an opinion Steyer, 57, of San Francisco has of himself, the memo was addressed to ‘Team Cincinnatus’ — presumably referring to the Roman statesman hailed as an icon of virtue, selflessness and humility after twice being chosen for, and then twice resigning, the mantle of dictator in order to protect the republic. Big sandals to fill, there.”
Steyer Moving Closer to Senate Run
“Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer is moving hard towards a bid to replace one of the Senate’s staunchest green champions, retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA),” The Hill reports.
“Steyer has been working the phones to gauge interest in a campaign since Boxer’s announcement Thursday. He’s been in contact with the California strategists and backers who he worked with to push through two state initiatives, as well as allies in labor and the statehouse. He’s weighing how to keep his super-PAC, NextGen Climate, alive and active during a run. And he’s been poring through recent polling testing his profile, numbers his allies say indicate he could do well.”
Steyer Considering Senate Bid in California
“Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer is mulling a run for Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat, according to a person close to the former hedge fund trader,” Politico reports. “The person added that Steyer has been approached by some in the liberal community to run for Boxer’s seat, while others have urged him to run for governor of California in 2018. Another option: running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat if she retires in 2018.”
Washington Post: “Political insiders took note, for instance, when Steyer showed up in Sacramento this week to celebrate Brown’s inauguration.”
Not Much to Show for Biggest Democratic Donor
“In the last days before the midterm elections, Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist who spent at least $57 million of his own money to influence Tuesday’s outcome — more than any other single donor — set off on a frenetic get-out-the-vote tour to Colorado, Iowa and finally New Hampshire… After all that, Mr. Steyer appears to have largely wasted his time and money,” the New York Times reports.
“Most of his candidates lost, even though Mr. Steyer, his advocacy organization NextGen Climate, and other environmental groups spent a total of about $85 million — a magnitude greater than they had ever spent in any election year.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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