Tom Steyer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 9, 2019
CONTACT: Tom Steyer Press

Tom Steyer Foregoes Run For President to Focus All of His Energy on Impeaching Trump

Commits up to $40 Million in 2019 to Convince the House of Representatives to Start Impeachment Hearings

DES MOINES, IA — Today, Tom Steyer announced that he is not seeking a presidential bid at this time and instead vowed to spend 100% of his time and energy focused on removing Donald Trump from power. Steyer’s goal is to use Need to Impeach, and its nearly 7 million supporters, to pressure the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives to start impeachment proceedings immediately and to convince 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to support impeachment.

During his announcement in Des Moines, Steyer committed $40 million in 2019 to this effort, which will include a comprehensive public education initiative, town halls across the country, an impeachment summit in Washington, D.C., and mobilizing millions of new supporters to continue pushing their representatives to support impeachment. These efforts will have an emphasis on supporters in House districts held by Reps. Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, Richard Neal, Jerrold Nadler, and Elijah Cummings, who chair key committees responsible for oversight and investigations, and in states with Republican Senators up for re-election in 2020.

“This is the biggest issue in American politics today,” Steyer said. “We have a lawless president in the White House who is eroding our democracy and it is only going to get worse. Donald Trump’s removal from power ultimately decides whether or not we can tackle every other challenge we face in America — and whether or not we continue to live in a democracy of, for, and by the people. It is past time for members of Congress to fulfill their constitutional duty. The question remaining is what will Congress do?”

Steyer’s announcement kicks off the next phase for Need to Impeach, which has become one of the fastest-growing, active groups of its kind since its October 2017 launch and is considered by political strategists to be one of the most powerful tools in the Democratic party.

The next phase includes:
  • A new national commercial series — the first of which is airing now on cable and broadcast TV — aimed at building public and congressional support for impeachment.
  • Holding town halls across the country, including three this month in Nevada, New Hampshire, and D.C.
  • Organizing a grassroots effort, starting in early primary and caucus states, urging presidential candidates to back impeachment.
  • A multi-million dollar digital initiative aimed at informing the public and members of Congress about the 10 impeachable offenses that Trump has already committed.
  • An impeachment summit in late January that will bring more than 250 supporters from across the country to D.C. together to learn about historical precedent for impeachment, Trump’s 10 impeachable offenses, and hear from legal and constitutional experts.
  • An advocacy day that will include impeachment summit participants fanning out across Capitol Hill to hand deliver articles of impeachment drafted by legal scholars to members of Congress with the simple message: “We did half the work, now it’s up to you to finish the job.”
Steyer launched Need to Impeach on October 20, 2017 with a $40 million investment to raise the voices of people across the country who were angered by Trump’s presidency and policies. Within the first week, the group grew to more than 1 million supporters and continues to grow by thousands of people each day.

"Donald Trump is a danger to our country and every person in it," said Ali Adair, an active Need to Impeach supporter from Virginia. "Tom Steyer and Need to Impeach are at the frontlines, leading the way and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with people like me from across the country who are outraged by this administration and are demanding change. I have learned so much from the Need to Impeach team's tenacity, but the most important thing they have reinforced for me is my need to stand up for the right thing even as we face hurdles and opposition."

In August, Steyer announced an additional $10 million to turn the movement into a voter bloc, resulting in nearly 80,000 supporters handwriting more than 1.6 million notecards — a get-out-the-vote record — to infrequent midterm voters in 43 key congressional districts. Of the 43 congressional districts targeted, Need to Impeach supporters helped flip 36 — an 84 percent win rate.

Said Need to Impeach Lead Strategist Kevin Mack: “With a new Congress now seated, and a majority of Democrats in the House, the power is in their hands to start the process of removing this corrupt and comprised president. We’re not backing down and we’re not letting up on our work to hold members of Congress accountable until Donald Trump is out of the White House.”


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About Tom Steyer
Tom Steyer stepped down as head of his investment firm in 2012 to dedicate all his time to philanthropy and political action focused on making America more just and prosperous. He has donated tens of millions of dollars to charitable projects that advance education, renewable energy, clean air and water, healthy food, sustainable agriculture, self-sustaining communities and more. 

In 2018, Steyer single-handedly had one of the largest impacts on the midterm elections, investing $120 million in grassroots organizing to expand democracy and elect progressive candidates across the country. The voters mobilized by NextGen America and Need to impeach contributed to Democratic wins that took back the House, won Senate seats and governorships, and captured state legislatures and local races