MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Tom Steyer is the first candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination to go negative in an ad about rivals from his own party.
Steyer, 62, a hedge fund manager, environmentalist, and Democratic megadonor who pushed for impeachment, ripped Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Bernie Sanders in a new 60-second advertisement rolled out this week.
“We simply can’t afford to nominate another insider, or an untested newcomer who doesn’t have the experience to beat Trump on the economy,” the narrator says.
The ad also includes a clip of Steyer at a campaign event, warning the crowd about how President Trump and Republicans will run in the general election if Democrats select Sanders as its standard-bearer.
“He’s running on the economy. He’s running on the idea that Democrats can’t grow an economy, are a bunch of socialists, you can’t afford to vote for them,” he says. “My job is to take on Mr. Trump and kick his ass on the economy.”
[Read more: Tom Steyer targets ‘struggling’ Pete Buttigieg over minority outreach and experience weaknesses]
Tom Steyer going negative in new 60-second spot up today — w/ shots at Biden, Buttigieg and “socialists” in field. Steyer has over $8 million of airtime booked for this week: $5.3 million in California, $1.2 million in New Hampshire, $880k in South Carolina, and $670k in Nevada pic.twitter.com/uxdg65SQYf
— David Wright (@DavidWright_7) February 6, 2020
The ad will feature in a flight of airtime Steyer bought this week, including roughly $5.3 million in California, $1.2 million in New Hampshire, $880,000 in South Carolina, and $670,00 in Nevada. His investments in Nevada and South Carolina are being used to explain his surprisingly strong polling in those two early voting states. According to RealClearPolitics averages, Steyer is ranked fourth in Nevada with 10% of the vote, ahead of Buttigieg. He’s also second in South Carolina with an average of 18.5% support, following only Biden.
The tenor of the ad contradicts the happy-go-lucky persona Steyer projects on the campaign trail. Aside from impeachment, many voters recognize him based solely on his penchant for wearing red and black plaid ties. When asked about it late Friday during a CNN town hall, he told the crowd he likes “to wear bright colors because it’s a lot more fun.”
“You get up in the morning, let’s have some darn fun for God’s sake,” he said.
Steyer and fellow Democratic billionaire White House hopeful Michael Bloomberg, 77, have spent approximately $400 million on ads since announcing their respective candidacies. The media mogul and former New York City mayor’s spending, in particular, has increased the cost for his competitors to buy airtime in already expensive media markets, changing the dynamics of the race.
