This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer has formally launched his campaign for president, making a late entry into the sprawling 2020 Democratic field that has already held its first round of primary debates.

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Steyer, who has in recent years cemented himself as the Democratic party’s largest donor, had long toyed with a presidential run only to rule it out in January.

But in a sharp reversal, Steyer entered the race on Tuesday – taking many Democrats by surprise and injecting the Democratic field with one of its most strident voices in favor of impeaching Donald Trump.

In an announcement video, Steyer said: “As an outsider, I’ve led grassroots efforts that have taken on big corporations and won results for people. That’s not something you see a lot of from Washington these days. That’s why I’m running for president.”

Steyer has spent the past year traveling the country to promote the agenda of his progressive group Need to Impeach, which has garnered more than 8 million supporters who wish to see Trump removed from the Oval Office. Steyer also funds the organization NextGen America, through which he has spent millions of dollars rallying voters around climate change and the environment.

Steyer reportedly told staffers at both groups last week that he was planning to announce a 2020 presidential bid.

Although Steyer has considerable resources to fund his own campaign, he could face challenges recruiting staff when other contenders have spent months – if not more – organizing in key battleground states. And like some other candidates, Steyer will probably struggle with name recognition in a field of nearly two dozen that includes heavyweights such as former vice-president Joe Biden and Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.

On Monday, the California representative Eric Swalwell became the first candidate to drop out the race after struggling to gain traction, telling CNN: “I just found it the hardest thing to contrast myself in a field of 20-something candidates.”

In an interview with the Guardian in Los Angeles last year, Steyer discussed his goals to fund leftwing causes, offering a counter to the Koch brothers’ funding of conservative candidates and campaigns.

“Are we afraid to tell the truth because it might piss someone off? No,” he said, adding that it was time to “retake” the United States. “We’re trying to do something to protect the country, protect the democracy, protect the people. This is a fight between right and wrong and I don’t see why people want to sweep that under the rug.”

Steyer’s political efforts escalated after the 2012 election, focused on climate change. His liberal advocacy group, Next Gen America, also spent millions in efforts to increase youth turnout in the 2018 midterm elections.

His anti-Trump ad campaigns havemade him targets of Fox News and the president. After Fox & Friends ran a segment last year on Steyer’s impeachment push, the president lashed out, tweeting: “Wacky and totally unhinged Tom Steyer, who has been fighting me and my Make America Great Again agenda from beginning, never wins elections!”

Some Democrats opposed to impeachment have also brushed off Steyer.

Steyer’s Need to Impeach Pac held a town hall in New York earlier this year aimed to increase pressure on Congressman Jerry Nadler, the judiciary committee chairman. Asked about the town hall, Hakeem Jeffries, another New York congressman, responded, “Tom who?”