One billionaire out: Tom Steyer bows out of Democratic presidential race after 3d place finish in South Carolina
by RT
One billionaire out: Tom Steyer bows out of Democratic presidential race after 3d place finish in South Carolina
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer has given up on his presidential bid after failing to win any delegates in South Carolina, according to projections. Steyer has been accused of buying his way into the race, having spent millions.
Steyer has dug deep into his own pocket, spending about $20 million of his own money in South Carolina alone in hopes to mount a 15 percent threshold, allowing him to win delegates in the fourth and final early voting contest before Super Tuesday.
However, that was not to be, as Steyer is now projected to gain less than 12 percent of the vote in the primary, dominated by former Vice President Joe Biden.
“I can’t see a path where I can win the presidency,” Steyer said, announcing his decision to put and end to his campaign.
The news of Steyer, a former hedge fund manager from California and avowed environmentalist, dropping out of the race comes as another billionaire vying for the Democratic nomination, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg, is still to test his support among the voters.
While Steyer’s absence from the Democratic candidates’ roster would unlikely upset many of Democratic voters (he was polling at about 2 percent nationwide), he had his one viral moment.
Poor @TomSteyer. He spent millions of dollars trying to buy votes in South Carolina, only to lose them all with one painfully embarrassing “dance.” ?pic.twitter.com/slz8CpAHPS
Hours before the South Carolina primary, Steyer’s name made headlines after he was filmed dancing enthusiastically alongside rapper Juvenile singing “Back That Azz Up” during his campaign rally in Columbia, South Carolina.
However, the stunt, whether impromptu or not, apparently did not boost the billionaire’s chances, with some arguing that the “painfully embrassing dance” made it all worse.
Tom Steyer spent ~$250 Million to dance with Juvenile, wear the same plaid tie on national television four times, win exactly one delegate, and then drop out. https://t.co/kW0ppVdYtO
