Tom Steyer

Office sought: Governor
Party: Democratic
Ballot designation: Environmental advocate and investor

Background

Biography. Steyer was born in 1957 and grew up in New York City. He studied economics and political science at Yale University, graduating summa cum laude. After college, he worked on mergers and acquisitions for the investment bank Morgan Stanley. He went back to school to earn an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. [3] [4] After graduate school, Steyer worked for the New York investment bank Goldman Sachs and moved to San Francisco in 1986 to join the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. He then started his own hedge fund, Farallon Capital Management, which he managed until 2012, when he retired to focus on political advocacy and philanthropy. [4] [5] In 2013, Steyer founded NextGen Climate. According to its website, NextGen Climate was formed “to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans.” [6] Steyer rebranded NextGen Climate as NextGen America in July 2017 to reflect a broader focus on opposition to President Donald Trump and support for a range of progressive policies. “This is a fight for the soul of American democracy and we have expanded our mission to meet the challenge at hand,” he said. [7] According to Investor’s Business Daily , Steyer spent more money on the 2014 and 2016 elections—$73 million and approximately $100 million, respectively—than any other individual donor. [8] In May 2016, Forbes listed Steyer at number 387 on its list of the 400 wealthiest people in the United States. [5] He spent $74 million during the 2018 elections . [9]

Prior offices and election history

2026

See also: California gubernatorial election, 2026 General election The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary. The candidate list in this election may not be complete. Nonpartisan primary Nonpartisan primary election for Governor of California The following candidates are running in the primary for Governor of California on June 2, 2026. Candidate Akinyemi Agbede (D) Mohammad Arif (D) Submit photo Larry D. Azevedo (D) Xavier Becerra (D) Carolina Buhler (D) Submit photo Louis De Barraicua (D) Submit photo Sophia Edum-a-Sam (D) Derek Grasty (D) Joel Jacob (D) Submit photo Gary Kidgell (D) Submit photo Matthew Levy (D) Matt Mahan (D) Thunder Parley (D) Katie Porter (D) Raji Rab (D) Submit photo Satish Rao (D) Barack D. Obama Shaw (D) Submit photo Scott Shields (D) Thomas Steyer (D) Eric Swalwell (D) (Withdrew, still on ballot) Tony Thurmond (D) Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Betty Yee (D) (Withdrew, still on ballot) Submit photo Erin Zezulak (D) Submit photo James Athans Jr. (R) Chad Bianco (R) Patricia De Luca Basualdo (R) Submit photo Randeep Dhillon (R) Submit photo Rafael Hernandez (R) Steve Hilton (R) Submit photo Alicia Lapp (R) Submit photo Leo Naranjo IV (R) Tim Nelson (R) Submit photo Gretha Solórzano (R) Leo Zacky (R) Submit photo David Zickefoose (R) Tom Woodard (L) Submit photo Naomi Bar-Lev (No party preference) Submit photo Joseph Cabrera (No party preference) Submit photo Elaine Culotti (No party preference) Submit photo LivingForGod DeMott (No party preference) Serge Fiankan (No party preference) Submit photo Lukasz Filinski (No party preference) Max Fomin (No party preference) Don Grundmann (No party preference) Submit photo Jon Henderson (No party preference) Lewis Herms (No party preference) Submit photo Dawit Kellel (No party preference) Anne Komarovsk (No party preference) Submit photo Duane Loynes Jr. (No party preference) Amanda Martin (No party preference) Submit photo Brent Maupin (No party preference) Daniel Mercuri (No party preference) Mauro Alberto Orozco (No party preference) Reza Safarnejad (No party preference) Submit photo Sam Sandak (No party preference) Christine Sarmiento (No party preference) Frederic Schultz (No party preference) Submit photo Margaret Trowe (No party preference) Nancy Young (No party preference) Ramsey Robinson (Peace and Freedom Party) Butch Ware (G) (Write-in) There are no incumbents in this race. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. Withdrawn or disqualified candidates Ethan Agarwal (D) Toni Atkins (D) Ian Charles Calderon (D) Sebastian de Warren (D) Eleni Kounalakis (D) George Slivka (D) Michael Younger (D) Ché Ahn (R) Dylan Colbert (R) Sharifah Hardie (R) Brandon Jones (R) Kyle Langford (R) Jon Slavet (R) Ebony Taylor (R) Nicholas Thompson (L) Jesse Alberti (No party preference) Javen Allen (No party preference) Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference) Leonard Jackson (No party preference) Liam Keel (No party preference) Belinda Yung (No party preference)

2026 — Endorsements

Steyer received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here . U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D) U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D) U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D) State Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D) State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D) State Sen. Henry Stern (D) State Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D) State Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D) State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D) State Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D) State Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D) State Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D) State Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D) State Assemblymember Alex Lee (D) State Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) State Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D) State Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D) Former state Sen. Toni Atkins (D) AFSCME 3299 California Federation of Teachers California Nurses Association California School Employees Association California Teachers Association United Domestic Workers of America ABOLISH ICE: Join the Fight! (Sway voting group by Steve Smith) Abolish ICE: join the pledge! (Sway voting group by Conscious Lee) Abolish ICE: join the pledge! (Sway voting group by Monte Mader) Abolish ICE: join the pledge! (Sway voting group by Qasim Rashid) Abolish ICE: join the pledge! (Sway voting group by Rachel Cohen) Alexa Be Votin’ (Sway voting group by Alexa Spivey) CA Votes Progressive (Sway voting group by June Paniouchkine) CalMatters Voter Guide (Sway voting group by CalMatters) California DSA’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by California DSA) California Environmental Voters California Environmental Voters’ Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Environmental Voters) California Federation of Teachers’ Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Federation of Teachers) California Labor Federation’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Labor Federation) California Nurses Association / National Nurses United’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Nurses Association / National Nurses United) California School Employees Association’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by California School Employees Association) California Teachers Association’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by California Teachers Association) Center Action Fund’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Center Action Fund) Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund Climate Center Action Fund Courage California Courage California’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Courage California) DSA San Diego’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by DSA San Diego) East Bay YIMBY’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by East Bay YIMBY) Energy and Nature (Sway voting group by Kevin Shock) Evan’s left-wing coalition (Sway voting group by Evan James) Fullerton Observer’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Fullerton Observer) How a Native Angeleno Votes (Sway voting group by June Paniouchkine) IFPTE Local 21’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by IFPTE Local 21) KPBS Endorsement Guide (Sway voting group by KPBS) KQED Voter Guide (Sway voting group by KQED) LeftOnTheBallot (Sway voting group by Alex Gervasi) NRDC Action Fund New Deal Dems (Sway voting group by Hunter Dunn) Our Revolution East Bay’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Our Revolution East Bay) Progressive Patriots (Sway voting group by Josh Greene) Rick’s Picks (Sway voting group by Rick Raushenbush) SEIU California’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by SEIU California) SEIU Local 1021’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by SEIU Local 1021) SEIU Local 521’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by SEIU Local 521) SEIU Local 99’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by SEIU Local 99) San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by San Francisco Bay Guardian) San Francisco League of Pissed Off Voters’ Voting Group (Sway voting group by San Francisco League of Pissed Off Voters) Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Sierra Club Angeles Chapter) Sierra Club California’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Sierra Club California) Streets For All’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Streets For All) The Overwhelmed San Franciscan’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by The Overwhelmed San Franciscan) Third Act UNITE HERE Local 11’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by UNITE HERE Local 11) UNITE HERE Local 2’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by UNITE HERE Local 2) Union Yes San Diego’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Union Yes San Diego) Vote For Peace’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Vote For Peace) Vote for Thomas “Tom” Steyer (Sway voting group by Thomas “Tom” Steyer) Vote together to reclaim childhood (Sway voting group by Melissa Partovi) Voting is a Team Sport | Katie Grossbard (Sway voting group by Katie Grossbard) Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club) YIMBY Action’s Voting Group (Sway voting group by YIMBY Action) Yaysayers (Sway voting group by Eric Say More) bocxtop’s voting group (Sway voting group by Prance) candidates that don’t suck (Sway voting group by Smallplates) iVoterGuide California (Sway voting group by iVoterGuide)

2020 — Presidency

See also: Presidential candidates, 2020 Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes. Steyer announced that he was running for president on July 9, 2019. [1] He suspended his presidential campaign on February 29, 2020. [2] Ballotpedia compiled the following resources about Steyer and the 2020 presidential election: News stories about the 2020 presidential election; An overview of key national and state campaign staffers ; Endorsements from politicians, public figures, and organizations; An overview of candidate campaign travel ; and A list of other presidential candidates running for election. Click here for Steyer’s 2020 presidential campaign overview.

Issue positions (campaign themes)

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses See also: Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Thomas Steyer has not yet completed Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey. If you are Thomas Steyer, click here to fill out Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey . Who fills out Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey? Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate’s Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 28,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia’s candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here . Help improve Ballotpedia - send us candidate contact info . Campaign website Steyer’s campaign website stated the following: Tom’s Plans for California Californians care about results – and who’s going to be able to deliver when it comes to lowering costs. Tom Steyer has a history of getting things done for California, even when the usual politicians, and the usual way of doing things, couldn’t deliver. These are his plans. BUILD ONE MILLION HOMES YOU CAN AFFORD A home is more than a place to sleep or a piece of property to be owned. It defies a single purpose. It connects you to community and it gives you belonging. It is where you build your future, raise a family, and it’s how you achieve the California Dream. But today, that fundamental promise—the chance to put down roots and raise a family—is slipping away. Californians cannot afford to live in California . We cannot treat our housing crisis as just a mathematical shortage of assets; it is a crisis of the California Dream. Housing underpins everything in California. I know that building more housing is possible. Nearly a decade ago, I signed on to help pass new laws to hold local governments accountable, provide permanent revenues for affordable housing programs, and streamline local zoning approvals. I’ve seen firsthand how these tools can work when they are actually enforced, and as Governor, I will use them to ensure that when builders follow the rules, they can get to work. I’m no stranger to building housing. I’ve done it before. I co-founded Beneficial State Bank with my wife Kat Taylor—a mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Beneficial State Bank has spent nearly two decades serving communities abandoned by Wall Street and working to directly dismantle the legacy of redlining and disinvestment. To date, we have financed over 17,000 affordable housing units. California used to build more than twice as many units as it does now. We need to return to that historic level of production. We can build 1 million homes over four years and fundamentally transform affordability in our state. Building should be easy. We should bring the same innovation and technology synonymous with California to our housing crisis. And above all else, our housing system should work for working people. Here’s how I’ll do that— How do we do this? Make Building Easier I’ll make financing easy so we can build homes everyone can afford. I will streamline permitting, reform zoning, and enforce laws to build faster. I will slash impact fees and transfer taxes by closing the “ Trump Tax Loophole .” Make Building Innovative I’ll invest in industrialized construction like prefab and modular housing, cut red tape, and build with union labor. I will treat housing like a public investment by using the state’s purchasing power to aggregate demand and build the country’s largest industrialized construction market. I will treat housing like a public investment to unlock stalled mixed-income developments currently paralyzed by high financing costs. I will promote innovation and flexibility at state agencies. Make Housing Work for All Californians I will put families ahead of Wall Street. I will protect renters. I will take on the insurance crisis and make housing resilient to disasters. I will shelter homeless Californians and expand our interim housing options with matching services. I will take care of our veterans, our students, and agricultural communities. CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES California has created a two-tiered tax system. While working people pay their fair share, the wealthiest people and corporations exploit tax loopholes to skip out on paying billions of dollars every year. This is money that should go to our schools, healthcare, and infrastructure. Our recent report shows how wealthy commercial property owners – including Donald Trump himself – have avoided paying taxes on what their properties are actually worth, collectively costing California $243 billion since 2012. When corporations don’t pay their fair share, everyday Californians are left to pick up the tab , and cities and counties are forced to push taxes, impact fees, and service charges onto residents, making California’s affordability crisis even worse. Tom is going to close these corporate loopholes, and raise $20 billion of new revenue each year to fund things like education, healthcare, childcare, and home care, all without charging working people a penny. How do we do this? Close the Trump Tax Loophole. We will reform the commercial side of Prop. 13 to end this corporate tax break that lets the wealthiest property owners, like Donald Trump, avoid paying taxes based on what their skyscrapers, golf courses, and tech campuses are actually worth. Stop letting some of the most valuable companies in the world get away with paying taxes on 1970s property values. Close the Water’s Edge loophole and level the playing field for local businesses. While small businesses in California pay taxes on everything they earn, multinational giants use this loophole to legally hide their profits in offshore tax havens. Tom will end this practice and make sure big corporations pay their fair share just like everyone else. LOWER ELECTRIC BILLS The electric companies are ripping us off. That’s a fact. Since 2019, e

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope . Notable ballot measure endorsements by Thomas Steyer Measure Position Outcome California One-Time Wealth Tax for State-Funded Healthcare, Education, and Food Assistance Programs Initiative (2026) source Support Signatures submitted California Proposition 16, Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment (2020) source Support Defeated California Proposition 30, Tax on Income Above $2 Million for Zero-Emissions Vehicles and Wildfire Prevention Initiative (2022) source Support Defeated California Proposition 50, Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment (2025) source Support Approved San Francisco, California, Measure D, Changes to Top Executive Pay Tax Initiative (June 2026) source Support On the ballot

Enrichment source: Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_Steyer

Sources

• CalMatters 2026 Voter Guide
• Ballotpedia (enrichment, when available)