Tom Steyer 2020 Campaign Iowa Endorsements

2020 « Democratic Candidates « Tom Steyer 2020 Organization « Press Releases on Iowa Endorsements

Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, February 1

Iowa-Nebraska NAACP President Betty Andrews Endorses Tom Steyer

(Des Moines, Feb 1) Presidential candidate Tom Steyer has been endorsed by community activist Betty Andrews. Andrews has worked to empower African Americans for years through many roles including as the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP State Area Conference president, a governor’s criminal justice reform group appointee, and the CEO of Iowa’s African American Festival. Steyer emerged as a front runner for Andrews several weeks ago and recently after attending Steyer’s block party with the NAACP, Urban Dreams, and Creative Visions, she made the decision to endorse Tom. Andrews was impressed by Steyer’s work fighting for economic and environmental justice, and having an honest conversation about race in this country. Andrews said this about her endorsement:

“As we head into the Iowa caucus, one presidential contender has emerged as a candidate I am willing to count on. That’s Tom Steyer.

Tom Steyer’s investment in the community goes back decades. He’s not afraid to call out the racist actions of Donald Trump and has a plan for a commission on reparations on day one of his presidency. As a justice activist, it’s important to me that America has a president that can hear the voice of marginalized people and take action in favor of addressing disparities. I’m counting on Tom’s business experience, ethics, and integrity to work for the people. His economic plan will create and support opportunities for everyday Americans to live their dreams. As president,Tom Steyer will put people above profits and limit the influence of corporate lobbyists. I’m caucusing for and counting on Tom!”

From TeamTom precinct captains in Waterloo, who have never caucused before, to communities across Nevada and South Carolina, Steyer has put in the work to be a partner and speak to the issues most impacting people and that means organizing everywhere. This follows a string of endorsements in the final days before the caucus from AAPI Caucus Chair Holly Christine Brown and Dubuque State Rep Chuck Isenhart.

*Please note this is a personal endorsement

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About Tom:

Tom Steyer left his successful investing business seven years ago to give his own money and all his time and energy to fighting for progressive causes. He soon became one of the country’s leading forces in registering more young voters and voters of color, fighting climate change, working for racial justice, and helping secure better lives for all Americans. Tom has led a number of people-first, grassroots campaigns that have repeatedly defeated powerful special interests, beating big oil to win clean air laws, forcing big tobacco to pay its share of healthcare costs, and closing a billion-dollar corporate tax loophole to fund public schools.

Tom and his wife Kat Taylor were early signers of the Giving Pledge, a commitment to give the bulk of his fortune to good causes before they die. Tom’s dedication to doing what is right comes from his parents. His father was a lawyer who prosecuted Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials; his mother was a journalist and teacher who volunteered to teach prisoners in New York City jails. Tom says his parents showed him the power of having the courage to do the right thing. Their greatest lesson, he says, was that our actions speak louder than our words – what we do is more important than what we say.

Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, February 1

Dubuque State Rep Chuck Isenhart Endorses Tom Steyer

(Des Moines, IA, Feb. 1) Presidential Candidate Tom Steyer has been endorsed by Dubuque State Rep Chuck Isenhart. To a large crowd in Dubuque, Representative Isenhart shared the following statement:

“Tom Steyer has been steadfast for many years in his recognition of climate disruption as the pivotal challenge that binds together most of the other issues facing our country and the world. His command of the facts during debates has been superb.

“Tom emphasizes that we will never change the politics of Washington, D.C. (or the states, for that matter) until we change how money and corporate influence determine the agenda and, in many cases, the outcomes of public policy-making-- in both the legislative and executive branches. In the meantime, because of his own resources and connections to like-minded individuals of means, he will not have to make unholy promises to deep-pocketed special interests to finance his own campaign.

“Tom has identified, as a part of his primary campaign, the principal issue he will use to confront the president in the general election, and he will be able to seize the advantage with the strength of his business experience: the economy. It’s where all the roads meet. We were reminded of that in the last election.

“Tom has been leading political campaigns for many years to generate grassroots engagement in critical public matters. That is a vital part of my own Campaign for the Common Good. Government is a participant sport, not a spectator sport. We have known for a long time that Americans want “new blood” for leadership-- someone who respects and trusts in people and will come to us when he or she needs our help. We aren’t afraid to elect people to the highest office in the land who have never held elected office before. Unlike the person we have endured for the past three years, I am convinced that Tom Steyer would work for us, not for himself.”

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Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, January 29

AAPI Caucus Chair Holly Brown Endorses Tom Steyer

(Des Moines, Jan 29) Presidential candidate Tom Steyer has been endorsed by Holly Brown, a leader in Cedar Rapids who serves as the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus. After attending a TeamTom lunar new year celebration and learning more about Tom’s vision and values, Brown left ready to support Steyer. Brown said this about her endorsement:

“When I think of the person I want to lead our country, I want someone willing to listen, learn, and grow. I have seen Tom Steyer meeting and genuinely listening to marginalized communities, and he has shown that he is learning from those experiences. To me, this is the mark of a true leader. For these reasons and so much more, I am proud to endorse Tom Steyer as president of the United States.”

In the final days before the caucus, Steyer is seeing strong momentum, especially with people of color. It’s going to take a diverse coalition to beat Trump in November and a candidate who is going to all communities, organizing all people, and talking to their issues. Steyer has recently been endorsed by local LULAC leader Jessica Trinidad and NAACP leader Sherry Washington.

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Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, January 24

Jessica Trinidad Endorses Steyer

(Des Moines, Jan 24) Presidential Candidate Tom Steyer was endorsed by LULAC Deputy State Director for Young Adults Jessica Trinidad. Trinidad, a daughter of Mexican immigrants, lived in Mexico for most of her childhood and moved to Iowa when she was 18. Since then she’s established herself as an advocate for the Latino and immigrant community in Des Moines and across the state. Trinidad recently attended a Latino Leader Lunch with Steyer and was impressed by both him and Kat Taylor who have worked alongside the Latino communities in California on economic and environmental justice for years. Trinidad said this about her endorsement:

"I heard of Tom back when the need to impeach campaign started. I was really Impressed I thought finally somebody is actually doing something. When I had the opportunity to meet him in person I was really impressed with his knowledge and plans to alleviate key issues affecting our country specially immigration, climate change, and the wage gap. I had the opportunity to ask if he would be open to making it possible for the Mexican people fleeing the drug war to seek asylum and he completely understood why I had asked that question and he said yes he would be open to that and that was when I said ok he gets it."

Press interested in learning more about Steyer’s momentum and strategy going into the caucus should reach out to leah.haberman@tomsteyer.com

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Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, January 15

Sherry Washington Endorses Tom Steyer

Well known activist and leader in Fort Dodge endorses Steyer

(Des Moines, Jan. 15) Following a strong debate performance, presidential candidate Tom Steyer has been endorsed by Fort Dodge NAACP President and 4th District Affirmative Action Chair Sherry Washington. Washington sits on the Fort Dodge Human Rights Commission, and is an active member of her community, helping to organize meetings at the Coppin Chapel African Methodist Church, working with Webster County to address mental health, and volunteering at the Fort Dodge Residential Correctional Facility.

“Faith, family, community and diversity are priorities to me,” said Washington. “It’s about meeting people where they are. My support is for the candidate who is already doing the work.”

Washington’s endorsement is a reflection of Tom’s grassroots work to fight injustice and inequities for more than a decade. Steyer and his wife Kat Taylor have spent years working alongside communities of color on environmental and economic justice. Over a decade ago, they founded Beneficial State Bank to go into underserved communities and empower women and minority-owned businesses.

After surging to second place in South Carolina and third place in Nevada, and centering justice on the debate stage, many leaders in Iowa are giving Steyer a second look.

Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, December 30

Climate Activists Ed Fallon and Kathy Byrnes Endorse Tom Steyer

Former Iowa State Representative and climate leader Ed Fallon
and climate activist Kathy Byrnes endorse Tom Steyer.

(Des Moines, Dec 30) Today, Ed Fallon and Kathy Byrnes have announced their endorsement of Tom Steyer for the Democratic nomination. As leading climate activists in Iowa, the couple have spent the cycle thus far encouraging all the candidates to oppose pipelines, center environmental justice, and declare that climate change is their number one priority. Alongside other notable Iowa climate leaders like Channing Dutton and Merlin Yockstick, Ed and Kathy have chosen to support Steyer because he is the strongest on addressing our climate crisis and knows that climate must be our number one priority. Mr. Fallon said this about his endorsement:

“Tom is uniquely positioned to beat Donald Trump, and on day one of his presidency, will launch the all-out climate mobilization we desperately need. Tom is the only candidate for president who will make the climate crisis his number one priority, and his 10 years of climate activism underscore that commitment.”

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Ed. - Fallon posted a detailed explanation on The Fallon Forum:

http://fallonforum.com/my-endorsements-for-president/

My endorsement(s) for president

First, let it be noted that whoever wins the Democratic nomination will be an infinitely better president than Donald Trump. If your guy or gal doesn’t get the nod, rally behind the winner regardless. Our country, and indeed our species, might well be doomed under four more years of President Trump. (Read “Donald Trump’s Record on Climate Change” for details.)

When I say “doomed” I mean it. If you still doubt that humanity faces the risk of extinction, or at minimum, the complete collapse of civilization, check out this alarming report by InsideClimate News.

While every Democrat running for president takes the climate crisis seriously, only one instills complete confidence that climate will be their top priority. That candidate is Tom Steyer (read on to see who is my second choice, which matters a lot in the Iowa Caucuses). Tom constantly assures voters that climate is the first item he’ll tackle as president. He also has the strongest track record, pumping his money, time, and energy into climate activism for over a decade.

These two things set Tom Steyer apart from every other Democratic presidential candidate, and that’s why I’m supporting him.

“But what about Bernie?” you say. “Bernie has been fighting for climate action for years. He has the backing of AOC, Sunrise, and other Green New Deal proponents.”

Bernie’s track record over the years on a range of important issues has been solid and consistent. After Steyer, Sanders’ rhetoric on climate is the strongest. For these reasons, if Steyer is not viable at your caucus, I hope you’ll support Sanders during realignment. Vice-versa, if Sanders is not viable, I hope you’ll stand with Steyer.

Steyer has my support over Sanders for three key reasons:

1. As noted above, Steyer’s record on climate is second to none. He’s walked the walk on climate action with greater focus and commitment than any other Democrat running for president.

2. Sanders’ track record on climate is not without blemishes. When I spoke with him in 2014 about the Dakota Access Pipeline, he wasn’t sure where he stood. And in 2015, Sanders was slow to come around to calling climate change an existential emergency. Steyer, on the other hand, has opposed oil and gas pipelines and embraced climate emergency language longer than any presidential candidate. (Check out this 2015 interview in the Los Angeles Times.)

3. It’s hard to take Sanders’ claim to being the Democrats’ climate champion seriously. This fall in Des Moines, Sanders hosted a powerful Climate Crisis Summit, at which he said that climate was his top priority. Yet Sanders immediately reverted to delegating climate to a much lower standing on his “wish list.” In fact, in the last two fliers I received from Sanders, climate didn’t even make that list.

Those criticisms aside, Sanders is by far the second strongest candidate on climate. Beyond climate, Democratic voters are rightfully fretful about nominating a Democrat who can beat Donald Trump. With that in mind, remember:

PERCEIVED OUTSIDER BEATS PERCEIVED INSIDER!

Examples:

— Madcap Uncle Donald beat the very embodiment of the status quo: perceived insider Hillary Clinton.

— Fresh, young outsider Barrack Obama trounced long-time insiders John McCain and Mitt Romney.

— George W. Bush — the bumbling, happy-go-lucky guy you’d like to chug a beer with — bested insiders Al Gore and John Kerry.

— At the state level in Iowa, David Young, Joni Ernst, and Kim Reynolds all handily beat Democrats pegged as elite elements of the economic and political establishment.

The stakes are higher than ever in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats can’t afford to make the usual mistake of nominating a perceived insider, e.g., Joe Biden. Both Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, despite years of public service, can confidently wave the anti-establishment banner. The same goes for Marianne Williamson and Tulsi Gabbard — two strong, progressive women who saw their campaigns torched early on by the DNC and its mouthpieces in the corporate media.

Steyer, despite his wealth, has operated outside the political mainstream. That will serve him well in a head-to-head match-up against Trump. So will Steyer’s credentials as someone who has succeeded in business. His stance on term limits resonates with voters across the political spectrum, too.

“But Ed,” you say. “How can you possibly support a billionaire for president?”

Given my consistent critique of income inequality over the years, that’s a legitimate question. Here’s what sets Tom apart from other wealthy Americans:

— Giving half his money to climate action and other important public work;

— Promising to enact a wealth tax so that he and all rich Americans pay significantly more in taxes;

— Supporting progressive candidates for office;

— Investing in sustainable agriculture, including the TomKat Ranch.

On that last note, earlier this fall, my partner, Kathy, and I spent an hour visiting with Tom’s wife, Kat Taylor. We were deeply impressed. Kat truly understands regenerative agriculture and is an articulate spokesperson for sustainable farming. Her voice and vision would help direct the farm policy component of Steyer’s climate emergency plan. Kat’s presence in the administration would be a blessing to all of America, and especially to Iowa, where farming and food production are vital.

I hope you’ll join me in caucusing for Tom Steyer. He is both our best hope for defeating Donald Trump and to move forward with an emergency response to the escalating climate crisis. Thank you.

Ed Fallon

Ed. Represented Elkader from Jan. 1977-Jan. 2014.

Tom Steyer 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, October 15, 2019

Former IA State Rep. Roger Thomas Endorses Tom Steyer for President

(Des Moines, Oct. 14, 2019) Today, former State Rep. Roger Thomas endorsed presidential candidate for the Democratic nomination Tom Steyer. The first Democrat to hold his seat in decades, Roger worked to build the party’s bench in Northeast Iowa. He was a champion for wind energy and economic development while in the legislature and is excited by Tom’s win-win strategy for a green economy with well-paying, union jobs. Roger has been impressed with Tom for years, and has admired his moral courage and leadership for being the first candidate calling for impeachment.

At the end of the day what differentiated Tom from the other candidates in the race was his relationship to the agricultural community. Rep. Thomas said, “Tom really gets it. He’s a cattle rancher. He knows that farmers are part of the solution to climate change and pollution, and we don’t get anywhere by demonizing folks who are just trying to do a hard day’s work.”

Tom has made almost weekly trips to Iowa over the last month where he has had the opportunity to talk to farmers impacted by Trump’s trade wars, to displaced people impacted by flooding, and to everyday Iowans looking for someone ready and committed to taking action. We can see his message resonating as we have already qualified for the November debates, and Morning Consult has him at fourth in the early states.

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