Billionaire Tom Steyer launches $100 million assault on GOP climate 'deniers'
Michel Porro/Getty Images
Billionaire hedge fund manager and environmentalist Tom Steyer's super PAC is planning to spend close to $100 million this year in a bid to unseat Republicans around the country who they say "deny reality" on climate change. The group plans to dump millions on Senate races in New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado, and Michigan, and on gubernatorial races in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maine. All three gubernatorial contests feature already-vulnerable incumbent Republicans.
Steyer has said he'll spend $50 million of his own money in the campaign. But whether the massive investment will pay dividends — polls have found Americans lukewarm to the issue of climate change, despite all the dire warnings — is unpredictable, especially if Republicans can effectively mobilize a counter-narrative claiming Dems are hurting the economy.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
The future of the Paris AgreementThe Explainer UN secretary general warns it is ‘inevitable’ the world will overshoot 1.5C target, but there is still time to change course
-
The Southern Ocean is holding in a ‘burp’Under the radar The heat from the past can affect the future
-
Hurricane Melissa slams Jamaica as Category 5 stormSpeed Read The year’s most powerful storm is also expected to be the strongest ever recorded in Jamaica
-
How climate change poses a national security threatThe explainer A global problem causing more global problems
-
The Earth is getting darkerUnder the radar The planet’s reflectivity is out of whack
-
Scientists want to use enhanced rock weathering to cool the EarthUnder the radar Rock dust could trap atmospheric carbon
-
Icarus programme – the ‘internet of animals’The Explainer Researchers aim to monitor 100,000 animals worldwide with GPS trackers, using data to understand climate change and help predict disasters and pandemics
