Democrats in Florida and across the nation could be losing one of their biggest sugar daddies as Tom Steyer mulls over running for office in California.
The California billionaire vowed to make Rick Scott pay for not believing in global warming. During last years election, Steyer spent more than $15 million against Scott with his Next Gen Climate super-PAC and it didnt pay off. Even worse for Steyer, he spent big against Republican Senate candidates in key races and the GOP won control from the Democrats. No doubt about it, the election cycle was bad all the way around for Steyer.
But Steyer, who made his fortune in investments including money in coal as late as 2012, is now looking at running for office on his own. With Barbara Boxer headed to the sidelines, Steyer is looking at running for the Senate in 2016. Having attended Jerry Browns swearing-in ceremony earlier this week, there is also talk about Steyer thinking about running for governor in 2018.
Steyer certainly has deep enough pockets to be a major factor if he runs in California, but there are plenty of other Democrats who are looking to move up the ladder. The likes of Gavin Newsome, Kamala Harris, Eric Garcetti and Antonio Villaraigosa also have their eyes on heading to the Senate or taking over in Sacramento.
In the meantime, Republicans in Florida and around the nation can breathe a little easier. Steyer might not have spent wisely but he showed no hesitation in throwing money against Republicans. After his 2014 political investments failed to pay off, Steyer can certainly be pardoned if he shopped around for new handlers, strategists and media gurus.
California is expensive to play in with too many media markets stretched out across the Pacific coast. Politicians who are well-established in one part of the state are simply unknown in other parts of it, making TV ads extremely important. Its why larger than life figures -- Brown, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger -- have a distinct advantage in California.
But that also means Steyer, if he runs, will have to focus his spending on his own ambitions, not on helping Democrats in Florida and other states. Steyer may have shot himself in the foot last time out but he can easily resurface down the road. In 2016, Florida will be the front lines of the presidential contest and there will be a Senate race; in 2018 for the next gubernatorial election and another Senate race. If Steyer decides to run for office himself, Florida Democrats might have to look for other sources of money.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
