*By Christian Smith* Billionaire activist Tom Steyer is not apologizing for his campaign to impeach Donald Trump. In an interview with Cheddar Monday, he dismissed criticism from certain Democrats that focusing on impeachment will energize the Republican base. "Standing up for the Constitution and the American people" should be more important than campaign tactics, he said. But Steyer is focused on both the immediate and the political long term. If Democrats don't take back the House of Representatives next month, "this year is a failure," he said. Otherwise, Steyer said, the thousands of hours and millions of dollars pumped into this election cycle will have been for nothing. "We've just got to say that and own it," he said of acknowledging the urgency of the midterms for Democrats. According to an August report, Steyer has poured more than $120 million into this election cycle primarily through his two political groups ー the "NextGen America" super PAC and the "Need to Impeach" campaign. Steyer's game plan is to mobilize the millions of millennials who don't normally vote in an attempt to undermine President Trump, whom Steyer calls a "corrupt, lawless, and dangerous president." NextGen America has spent millions of dollars engaging young voters in key battleground states like Florida. Millennials traditionally haven't shown up to vote in the same numbers as other generations, but Steyer isn't fazed. "I am confident," Steyer said when asked whether he thought millennials would turn up at the polls. To some, Steyer's well-oiled political machine might resemble the early outline of a possible 2020 campaign. But the former hedge fund manager reiterated that his focus rests solely on the midterms ー at least for now. "We are nose down through Nov. 6, 2018," Steyer said. "I think anyone who is thinking about themselves instead of doing what's right and doing the work over the next two weeks, or over the past two months, really is missing the point." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-billionaire-tom-steyer-plans-to-mobilize-his-political-machine).

Share:
More In Politics
Millennials Struggle to Own Amid Hot Housing Market
Once called the rent-forever generation, Millennials are bucking the trend. But just as they age into their prime home-buying years, they’ve run up against a red hot housing market exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Cheddar News senior Reporter Chloe Aiello went to Hudson, N.Y., to learn more.
Judge Finds Trump in Contempt in Legal Fight With NY AG
A New York judge has found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings.
Addressing Arguments Against Student Debt Forgiveness as Biden Makes Changes
The Biden administration is making changes to federal student loan programs, bringing more than 3.6 million people closer to debt forgiveness under the new rules, providing 40,000 with immediate debt cancellation, and allowing several thousand more with older loans to get some relief. Rob Franek, Editor-In-Chief of the Princeton Review, joined Cheddar News to break down how these changes might impact the lives of student loan borrowers and addresses some of the pushback against doing even more. "This is not a bankruptcy bailout of industries that are supporting the American economy," he said. These are for students right now who would otherwise be hobbled financially if they didn't experience some sort of forgiveness overall."
Rights of Nature Says Nature Has Basic Rights to Exist
An increasing number of countries are recognizing "Rights of Nature", a legal movement that says ecosystems and species have basic rights to exist and flourish. Grant Wilson, executive director at Earth Law Center joins Cheddar News to explain what the movement is aiming to achieve.
House GOP Asks Twitter Board to Preserve Records of Elon Musk's Purchase Bid
The saga surrounding Elon Musk's bid to buy Twitter has made its way to Washington, DC. A group of 18 House Republicans are calling on the social media platform's board to preserve all records and documents related to the company's response to the offer from the Tesla CEO. Caleb Silver, editor in chief of Investopedia, joined Closing Bell to discuss. "This is a long term play, but it's just a shot across the bow by congressional Republicans, who probably will end up taking the House, that they're going to be tough on Big Tech and they're going use Musk's bid for twitter to take it private, so that he can get the platform to be open source and remove its censorship."
Load More