On Tour

Billionaire Tom Steyer Drops Out of Presidential Race

Not even bizarre pandering in the form of dancing onstage to Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” could save billionaire ’s presidential campaign. After placing third in the state’s primary on Saturday, with only 11 percent of the vote, Steyer announced he would suspend his campaign.

“There’s no question today that this campaign, we were disappointed with where we came out,” Steyer said.

Steyer, whose campaign focused on issues of climate change and racial justice, had spent $158 million on TV and radio ads according to Advertising Analytics, and $21 million of that was spent in South Carolina as of last Tuesday. He also held more events in the state than any other candidate and his wife even moved temporarily to the state’s capital of Columbia. Because he earned no pledged delegates in earlier primaries, Steyer was pinning his hopes on a strong showing in South Carolina that did not materialize.

“We live in a country that is deeply unjust economically where rich people have been profiting at the expense of everybody else,” Steyer told supporters Saturday evening. “And I didn’t get in this race and start talking about things to get votes. I was in this race to talk about things that I cared the most about.”