Who knows what Charlie Crist will owe California billionaire Tom Steyer if he regains the Florida governor's seat in November.
Maybe nothing. But because I don't believe either one of these characters is as pure as the driven snow, I hope you'll pardon me for being a little suspicious.
The Democratic mega donor and founder of hedge fund Farallon Capital Management LLC -- who is also the founder of the super political action committee NextGen Climate --is floating an $8.6 million campaign to bounce Gov. Rick Scott out of office and install Charlie Crist in his place.
Wanting to help a fellow Democrat in a tight race when you're rolling in money is understandable. But $8.6 million? For a race in a state far, far away?
Steyer tells us his largess is only to "save Florida" from being swallowed up by rising tides. He's opening 21 offices, dispatching more than 500 staffers and volunteers and deploying what he calls "a rolling ark." Maybe just an unselfish man with a big heart on an idealistic mission? You think?
But here's the latest you might want to think about: Steyer has just dropped another $800,004 in TV ads on the Tampa media market. And Tampa is only one of 11 major markets in the state.
In case you're wondering who gets that $800,004 and how it breaks down -- all of it to be spent on advertising for Charlie Crist during the period that began Wednesday, Oct. 22 through Election Day -- this is it: WFLA, $153,780; WFTS, $149,860; WTSP, $245,700; WTVT, $194,00; WMOR, $14,850; WTOG, $17,680; WTTA, $11,950; and WWSB, $15,780.
Steyer has virtually doubled down on I-4 corridor advertising to make a grand finale worthy of a Fourth of July festival in November. The previous week, Oct. 15-23, he spent $428,200.
One thing to remember before you leave this page -- and I've pointed it out about Steyer before: Like so many millionaire and billionaire environmentalists, the man is a huge humbug.
You might enjoy readingthe Washington Free Beacon storyof how House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., steered more than $1 billion to an infrastructure project that vastly benefited Steyer's hedge fund, San Francisco-based Farallon Capital Management.
Farallon apparently bought up large plots of real estate in San Frans burgeoning Mission Bay neighborhood in 2004. The area is now booming and Farallon has sold most of its property there.
But Steyer went from rich to mightily rich on his Pelosi connection, and every election year for the past 10, the House minority leader overpowered any opposition with prodigious fundraising thanks in large part to Steyer's contributions. "We want to support Nancy as much as we can, the Free Beacon reports Steyer as saying.
Pelosi's support was more than just financial, according to the newspaper. "Pelosi went out of her way to expedite federal backing for the project in the face of bureaucratic hurdles designed to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds."
Critics say the Mission Bay deal points to a willingness for Steyer to use his considerable clout in Washington to advance his own interests. Similar charges were leveled against him when it was reported that Farallon owned stakes in competitors to the company behind the Keystone pipeline, though Steyer vehemently denied those reports.
He lined his hypocrite billionaire pockets with our tax dollars, said Phil Kerpen, president of the conservative group American Commitment.
So, my questions now are these:
What does a climate change guy, a hedge fund guy, a guy with enough money to buy an issue that wasn't one before in a state election 3,000 miles away, get out of a Charlie Crist administration? What does he expect? This election gets curiouser and curiouser.
Has Steyer got something up his sleeve he isn't telling?
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, Brian Hughes, Tallahassee-based Republican media strategist, didn't hazard a guess. But he did say buildinga 500-member organization like NextGens in Florida is highly unusual for an individual donor.
The point is, a net worth estimated at $2.6 billion can buy you a lot of politics -- even, perhaps, a president's policy position. Steyer's brother Jim told the Wall Street Journal that during a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser at Tom Steyer's home in April 2013, he pressed President Obama on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
This is a chance for us to reframe the discussion on energy and climate, Tom Steyer told Obama. And ever since, the Keystone XL pipeline has been as good as dead to the Obama administration.
What kind of pressure would Steyer exert on Charlie Crist? What favors would Steyer, a man of power and wealth, ask of a governor given to chronic hero worship? What hints would he drop -- if Crist wins in two weeks?
At the beginning of his born-again Democratic gubernatorial campaign, during the annual AP meeting in Tallahassee, Crist told reporters and editors, "All anybody who gives to my campaign gets from me is my thanks."
I know, but don't laugh.
Just watch. If Crist does win, we'll see then.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
