Billionaire activist and newly announced Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer is already moving to throw his considerable financial weight around, rolling out a pair of TV ads Wednesday backed by a $1.4 million buy.
One ad, literally titled “Money Where His Mouth Is,” highlighted his personal history of founding, and ultimately leaving, the investment firm Farallon Capital Management to pursue causes like fighting climate change.
The other ad plays on his campaign theme of rooting out corporate influence in politics.
“Our democracy has been purchased,” he says. “The candidates running for president have great ideas, but we can’t get anything done unless we make our democracy serve the people again.”
His campaign said the ads will run from July 10-23. They’ll run nationally on CNN and MSNBC and locally in the early presidential states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.
While Mr. Steyer’s considerable personal wealth gives him a leg up on other contenders in the money game, investing in TV air time isn’t necessarily a recipe for success in early presidential states where voters and caucus-goers value personal interactions and in-person pitches from candidates.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, who dropped out of the race earlier this week, was one of the first 2020 Democratic contenders with a TV presence, releasing a spot last month that focused on gun control.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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