Tom Steyer is probably going to the make the next Democratic debate stage


Billionaire Tom Steyer is the newest member of the overcrowded 2020 Democratic presidential primary field, but he's cruising past candidates with a longer track record in the race to the debate stage. That's good news for him, but it's opened the door for criticism of his campaign strategy and the Democratic National Committee.
The perception is that Steyer's personal wealth has given him a leg up over other candidates who are gasping for air as they try to reach the 130,000 donor and 2 percent polling thresholds to qualify for the third primary debate in September, The Atlantic reports.
Steyer has funneled $7 million into TV commercials since he announced his campaign last month, which is reportedly more than most of the other campaigns have raised overall, and he's already spent $2.5 million on digital ads, a figure greater than any other candidate, including President Trump. A lot of that advertising is on Facebook, which one aide from a rival 2020 campaign equated to a "wealth transfer" between Steyer and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
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.
Steyer for his part said that his ability to attract donors and support in the polls — he's just one DNC-recognized poll short of fully qualifying for September — isn't about his spending abilities, but his message and vision. "Running grassroots campaigns, at some level, is about running a good campaign, but this is about whether you have something to say that's different, that's true, and that's important," he said.
Not everyone's buying that. "If this is truly about the grassroots, you wouldn't set up a system where you can buy grassroots," one campaign aide told The Atlantic, referring to the rules set in place by the DNC. Read more at The Atlantic.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda