Ad nauseam: How message fatigue tanked Tom Steyer's $216-million campaign

[Zorro]

Californians couldn’t escape billionaire Tom Steyer’s political ads — during newscasts, sitcoms, or sporting events; on streaming services, YouTube, influencers’ social media feeds, or their mailboxes. Even the Puppy Bowl.

Yet despite spending a record-shattering $216 million of his wealth on his run for governor, the Democrat failed to win enough votes in last week’s primary to advance to the November general election to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“Money isn’t everything, even though it obviously helps,” said Andrea Godfrey Flynn, a marketing professor at the University of San Diego. “It boosted Steyer way up. … But there are so many other factors at play that it may not have been enough.”

Steyer, a hedge fund co-founder turned environmental warrior, polled at 1% shortly before he entered the governor’s race in November, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

He climbed in subsequent polls, hitting 19% in the same poll shortly before the June 2 primary, putting Steyer in contention for winning one of the top two spots in the contest that would allow him to advance to the November election. But then he hit a ceiling, and on Tuesday, it became official that he failed to advance.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-06-10/why-tom-steyers-216-million-gubernatorial-bid-failed

[UpInArms]

1. The world doesn't like being run be billionaires

No one gets that much money all by themselves

They get it from the labors of everyone else

[Auggie]

2. +1

[hunter]

3. I saw a few direct mail advertisements that went straight into the recycling bin.

I didn't see any television or internet advertisements, didn't hear any radio advertisements, so I must be doing something right.

I'm glad he's not on the November ballot. The Democratic Party doesn't need that kind of infighting -- especially now.

[Retrograde]

4. Like Meg Whitman in 2010

She started plastering the airwaves a year before the election for governor, using her own fortune to pay for the ads. It got so that people started tuning them out, and she went on to lose to Jerry Brown.

I got tired of Steyer praising himself months ago. If the two top leaders in this case were Steyer and Hilton, I'd vote for Steyer in the general, but I'm glad we don't have two Democrats in the lead (assuming things stay as they are): we'd be subject to months of mudslinging by both of them.