Steyer counters that there are major differences between himself and the Koch brothers. Steyer: I'm not the Koch brothers

Liberal billionaire Tom Steyer insisted Tuesday that he’s not the left’s version of the Koch brothers.

“That is not something I embrace. I think there are real distinctions between the Koch brothers and us,” Steyer said in an interview with POLITICO and The Washington Post taped for C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers,” which will air on Sunday.


Steyer, who hopes to use his vast personal fortune to make climate change a top priority in the upcoming midterm elections, said he’s not entering politics for personal gain.

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Charles and David Koch’s priorities “line up perfectly with their pocketbooks — and that’s not true for us,” Steyer said.

A Koch spokesman objected to Steyer’s characterization.

“That assertion is false and disingenuous, and people can see through that. Koch opposes all mandates and subsidies, even when they exist for businesses in which we operate. In doing so, we act against our self-interest. We have been consistent in this position for over 40 years,” spokesman Robert Tappan said in an email.

Democrats in Congress, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, have spent weeks bashing the Republican-supporting industrialists who have helped bankroll conservative candidates and causes.

“[W]hat is un-American is when shadowy billionaires pour unlimited money into our democracy to rig the system to benefit themselves and the wealthiest 1 percent,” Reid said last month.

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In response, Republicans have pounced on Steyer for relying on the same laws and court rulings that allow the Kochs to use their wealth to have a massive influence on elections. And they gleefully note that Reid and other Democrats attended a recent fundraiser at Steyer’s San Francisco home.

But Steyer countered that there are major differences between himself and the Koch brothers, and he argued that his operation is “completely open” and transparent. “I think they have not been huge embracers of transparency,” he said of the Kochs.

“I think they’re in a very, very different position than me and from the people that I work with. And the fact that we’re on opposite sides of the table on a lot of issues — that is true. But the way that we’re approaching them is very, very different,” he said.

In the interview, Steyer also signaled that President Barack Obama’s decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline shouldn’t be viewed in a vacuum, but as part of his broader energy and environmental legacy.

Asked if the Keystone decision will define Obama’s legacy, Steyer said, “I think that’s an overstatement. I think the truth of the matter is there’s a body of work here that has been done over a number of years and I think it’s unfair to say that any one decision defines it.”

But that’s not to say Steyer now believes the administration’s verdict on Keystone is unimportant.

“I do think that the decision on Keystone is going to be a gigantic measure of his commitment to energy and the environment. I do. And I don’t think there’s any way around it because that’s how the fight has come out,” he said.

Steyer, a former hudge fund manager, is planning to spend big ahead of this year’s midterm elections, though he was wary of saying exactly how much money he would contribute. He suggested that he’s willing to spend much more than the $100 million — $50 million of his own money and $50 million from other donors — that his aides have said he’s prepared to put into the midterms.

“If you said to me, how much am I willing to spend to make this … the most important issue in the minds of Americans, then I would think $100 million bucks would be very low honestly,” he said, declining to commit to a specific figure.

He also declined to detail where he intends to spend his money beyond citing his previously disclosed targets: the Florida governor’s race and the Iowa Senate race. Steyer estimated that he’ll be involved in “eight or more” races and he suggested that he’ll have more clarity on his plans in June.

And while Steyer announced last week that he’ll aid lawmakers who come under attack for opposing Keystone, he said that’s not the only criteria he’ll consider.

Asked whether he’d support a candidate like Sen. Mark Udall, who is facing a tough re-election fight in Colorado against Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, even though the Democrat hasn’t taken a clear stance on Keystone, Steyer said, “We’re going to take a holistic view and try and make sure that the people we support are going to be doing the right thing down the road.”

And Steyer did not rule out pursuing a political career of his own amid speculation that he wants to eventually run for governor of California.

“I would do anything really that was sensible and legal to push the United States the right way on this issue. And if that meant running for office, then I’d do it. But I wouldn’t run for governor of California unless there was something specific and meaningful that I thought would happen as a result of that,” he said.