Billionaire Democratic Donor Hopes to Impeach Trump, Maybe Also Run for President?

By Prachi Gupta  |  January 9, 2018 | 6:40pm
Politics

Tom Steyer, an unfathomably rich man and a major Democratic political donor, is pumping millions of dollars into voter outreach efforts with the goal of impeaching Donald Trump.

Steyer, who has gathered over four million signatures on a digital petition calling for Trump’s impeachment, is now pledging $30 million to help flip the House in the 2018 elections. The New York Times reports that his group, NextGen America, will back Democratic candidates in “House, Senate, and governor’s races in Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, California, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Hampshire and Arizona.” He is then hoping that a majority of Democrats will vote to impeach Trump—which is a lofty goal that will definitely rile people up, but doesn’t exactly help Democrats get their shit together (or figure out what their core values are aside from simply hating Donald Trump), which they so desperately need to figure out before the midterms.

“Young people are overwhelmingly progressive, and energized like never before,” Mr. Steyer told the Times. “They are now the largest bloc of eligible voters in America, capable of swinging elections on their own, and they are horrified by what’s happening here in Washington.” His group will also send all House members copies of Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s behind-the-scenes look at the Trump trainwreck.

But Steyer’s independent organizing and strategic media appearances also look an awful lot like the beginnings of a presidential campaign. As Republican consultant Mike Madrid told Politico in December, “That’s how you build a grassroots operations for a presidential campaign. And if you are that guy who started this, that’s certainly a leg up in organizing a 50-state strategy.”

“That’s what he’s building, and it’s probably second only to Bernie Sanders’ list, and may be eclipsing it.” Madrid said. “Every election cycle has its own dynamics, and whoever is tapping into the sentiments of their own base usually has an advantage.”

Steyer announced that he’s not running for Senate or governor in California, but if he has presidential aspirations, the Times doesn’t mention it. Right now, Steyer and his group is “really focused on removing this president.”

 
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