Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer reportedly rented whole San Francisco theaters to practice for the debate


There are few things less glamorous than running for president. You live on the road and barely have time to eat, sleep, or drink water. Candidates regularly suffer from dehydration and gout. Then there is the fact that, when you want to prepare for a debate, someone on staff has to remember to book a badly-lit hotel conference room in advance.
Well, unless you're a billionaire former hedge fund executive. Tom Steyer, who will appear in his first debate on Tuesday night, apparently rented out entire theaters in San Francisco to prep for the big event, The New York Times reports.
Some of Steyer's Democratic opponents have grumbled about the San Franciscan allegedly "buying his way up" to the stage — those being the words of former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, although New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have made similar claims, observes The Sacramento Bee.
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Still, any preparation at all marks a big step for Steyer, who estimates he hasn't debated since high school. Back when he first tested the waters of running for office locally in California in 2017, "Steyer rejected any kind of formal speech training because he favored pursuing what he viewed as an authentic persona," the Los Angeles Times reports.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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