How the Left Stopped One of Its Favorite Billionaires From Running for Senate

They loved Tom Steyer when he was like their very own Koch brother—but when he pondered a challenge to one of their favorites, they turned up their noses.

San Francisco activist Tom Steyer discusses his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline during an interview in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, June 20, 2013.
Photographer: Julia Schmalz/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By David Weigel

January 22, 2015 at 10:16 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Tom Steyer’s decision to pass on California’s 2016 race gave Democrats a moment of quiet bliss. If you paid close attention to what Democrats said about Steyer in election season, you might have been surprised by this. Last year, Steyer spent $57 million of his hedge fund fortune to elect Democrats to the Senate. It didn’t always work–indeed, it made Steyer infamous on the right, a sort of Bizarro Koch brother – but the sacrifices won him the respect of greens and progressives. His NextGen Climate Action had spent money where Democrats were strapped. In the post-Citizens United world, they had their own rich guy.

“You made climate part of this election, and we thank you for that,” former “climate czar” Carol Browner told Steyer at a post-election meeting of the Center for American Progress.