California Progressives Bet on Billionaire ‘Class Traitor’
Tom Steyer’s left-leaning coalition regards him as a ‘strange bedfellow’ for their movement – and their best option.
On a Saturday afternoon near San Francisco’s Union Square, around 400 supporters of Tom Steyer’s gubernatorial campaign assembled, many wearing the same accessory: khaki hats that read “class traitor” on the front, and “Tom Steyer is a…” on the back.
The hats rounded out a recurring theme among Steyer’s decisively left-leaning coalition: They aren’t shy about his status as a billionaire – they own the attention this draws, and redirect it at his policies, which include single-payer healthcare and a billionaire tax.
Three days out from the California primary, Steyer addressed the energized crowd while standing in front of union representatives, construction workers, and other supporters holding signs that read, “abolish ICE,” “tax billionaires,” and “make polluters pay.”
“I wasn’t born a billionaire,” Steyer said, “and I won’t die a billionaire. As governor, I’ll raise taxes on billionaires. I’m the only candidate who will say that – it’s the reason the other billionaires hate me.”