With voters on the left split across a wide Democratic field, Our Revolution says it backed Tom Steyer to avoid handing the seat to a Republican.
  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    0·
    27 days ago

    Tom Steyer, a hedge-fund billionaire and philanthropist, won the group’s endorsement on Monday. Our Revolution said its decision to back Steyer was driven in part by the shakeup over Rep. Eric Swalwell’s exit and fear that if progressives fail to consolidate around a candidate, they’ll hand the gubernatorial seat to a Republican.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Steyer

    Thomas Fahr Steyer (/ˈstaɪ.ər/; born June 27, 1957) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and environmentalist. He is the founder of Farallon Capital, a San Francisco-based hedge fund, as well as NextGen America, a progressive political action committee, and Galvanize Climate Solutions, a climate change-centered investment firm. A member of the Democratic Party, he unsuccessfully ran for the party’s nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election.

    Steyer is a graduate of Yale University (BA) and Stanford University (MBA). He is the founder and former co-senior managing partner of Farallon Capital. Following his departure from the company in 2012, he became an advocate for climate action and founded NextGen America. His book, Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War, appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2024.

    A billionaire, Steyer has been one of the largest donors in American Democratic Party politics, using his wealth to fund both environmental causes and political campaigns. In 2020, he ran for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. After spending $253 million on his campaign, he withdrew from the race in February 2020 without having received any pledged delegates. In 2025, Steyer announced his candidacy in the 2026 California gubernatorial election to succeed term-limited governor Gavin Newsom.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Swalwell

    Eric Michael Swalwell (/ˈswɑːlwɛl/ SWAHL-well; born November 16, 1980) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 2013 until his resignation in 2026. A member of the Democratic Party, Swalwell was a candidate in the 2026 California gubernatorial election and was an impeachment manager during the second impeachment of Donald Trump in 2021.

    A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Swalwell worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County from 2006 to 2012. In 2012, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating 20-term Democratic incumbent Pete Stark. Swallwell ran unsuccessfully for the party’s nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election, during which he never polled above 1%.

    In April 2026, Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his gubernatorial campaign after allegations he had raped a staffer and sexually harassed three others, which he denies.[1][2]