Tom Steyer is one of the Democratic candidates in a loaded 2020 presidential field and was one of 12 candidates to qualify for the CNN/New York Times Democratic Debate on Wednesday, October 15. To qualify for the October debates, candidates had to receive at least 2 percent of support in four separate Democratic National Committee-approved polls and receive contributions from at least 130,000 unique donors, including at least 400 donors from 20 different states.
Despite qualifying, many people don’t know much about Steyer after he was on the outs in the early rounds of debates.
However, the billionaire, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, and liberal activist is now ready for his moment to turn heads on the debate stage.
“I’m excited. I think most people in America don’t know who I am and this is a chance for me to introduce myself and to talk about what I care about and why I am running for president,” Steyer told the Hollywood Reporter. “The whole point of this campaign is to explain who I am and why I’m running, and if I get a chance to talk to 15 to 30 million Americans, I’m excited about it. I think it’s a great chance…. We’ll see how it works.”
Additional information about the billionaire candidate can be seen below.
Tom Steyer Bio
Born: June 27, 1957 (age 62 years)
From: New York, New York
Steyer is the son of teacher Marnie Fahr and New York law firm partner Roy Henry Steyer. Steyer grew up in Manhattan, before attending Yale. While at Yale, Steyer graduated summa cum laude, was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity, and a captain of the Yale soccer team. He would later receive his MBA from Stanford Business School.
Steyer has previously worked on a number of presidential campaigns and fundraisers in the political world. Steyer was one of Barack Obama’s top fundraisers and is a former Democratic National Convention delegate. Steyer was considered for appointment as Secretary of Treasury in the Obama administration.
The 62-year-old is known for contrasting the Koch brothers.
Steyer has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion.