Steyer Campaign Says It Is Step Closer to TV Debates

The campaign of Tom Steyer said that he has now qualified in three of the four polls he needs to be included in the next Democratic TV debate.

Steyer is the billionaire financier who has been calling for impeachment, and bankrolling a media campaign, Need to Impeach, to get Congress to open those proceedings.

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According to NPR, he has yet to meet the minimum of 130,000 unique donors, 400 of which must come in 20 different states, that is the other criterion.

Steyer's campaign cited a Monmouth University poll released Aug. 8 and showing the new candidate polling at 3% in Iowa, saying that put him "one step closer" to making the cut for September.

The next debate is Sept. 12-13 on ABC in Houston. If 10 candidates or fewer make the cut-off, the second night will be scrapped.

There are currently nine candidates who have qualified for that debate, according to NPR.

Tom Steyer stepped down earlier this month from Need to Impeach to launch his presidential run.

Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, has been pouring money into TV ads calling for the President's impeachment. Need to Impeach has spent about $75 million to date to "raise the voices of people across the country."

And while he has resigned his position at progressive action group NextGen America as well as Need to Impeach, Steyer has said he will put $50 million into them through next year "to ensure both organizations fulfill their missions."

So, Steyer's political spending, if he stays in the race, will be on two fronts.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.