Tom Steyer, the former hedge fund manager turned climate activist and big-spending political player, already has one notch in his belt, helping elect Massachusetts' Ed Markey to the US Senate earlier this year.
Now he's aiming for notch number two: pummeling Republican Ken Cuccinelli and electing Cuccinelli's opponent, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, Virginia's next governor.
Politico reports that Steyer's super-PAC, NextGen Climate Action, will run its first wave of TV ads in Virginia this week. NextGen and its consultants are also laying the groundwork for a statewide get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort this fall targeting Virginians who care about the climate.
GOTV efforts are especially important in this year's Virginia gubernatorial race because it is an off-year election and the year after a presidential race. Voters are following politics less closely, and turnout is expected to be low.
