Liberal mega-donor may run for Calif. governor: report

A liberal mega-donor with an estimated worth of more than $1.5 billion is weighing a run for California governor, according to a new report.

Tom Steyer, a San Francisco hedge fund manager and major climate change activist, may run for the office in 2018, Politico said Thursday.

{mosads}Steyer is one of the left’s biggest donors, reportedly contributing more than $140 million over the 2014 and 2016 election cycles.

The billionaire’s NextGen Climate group, meanwhile, has raised his profile across California with a series of television ads. Steyer personally appeared in several of the commercials, which came after he briefly teased a Senate run that never materialized.

Steyer is one of three wealthy liberal donors eyeing a governor’s post in 2018, according to the report.

John Morgan, a well-known Florida attorney, is reportedly considering a bid in the swing state. Morgan put out a preliminary policy platform in November, Politico said, and spent much of last year pushing a successful medical marijuana ballot initiative there.

J.B. Pritzker, a Chicago private equity and venture capitalism veteran with an estimated worth of more than $3 billion, is reportedly considering an Illinois gubernatorial run in 2018. Pritzker is heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune.

Democrats are debating their party’s future following President-elect Donald Trump’s shocking White House win. The ranks of Democratic governors were hard hit this election cycle, with a string of losses reducing their numbers to 16 nationwide.

None of the three liberal mega-donors is expected to formally launch a gubernatorial campaign anytime soon, according to Politico.