Democrat donor to pump $30 million into winning House

[January 09, 2018]    By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Tom Steyer, who has spent millions on national ads calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, will spend $30 million this year trying to get members of his party elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to win control of the chamber from Republicans, he announced on Monday.

Tom Steyer, a hedge fund manager and a prominent Democratic fundraiser who has mounted a high-profile advertising campaign advocating the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump, holds a news conference to announce plans for his political future, in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Steyer, who also said he will not personally run for office, added that he will also continue his national campaign calling for impeachment.

"My fight is in removing Donald Trump from office and removing Donald Trump from power," Steyer said.

The House impeaches, or brings formal charges against an official, in what would be the first step in removing Trump from office. The U.S. Senate tries the case.

Steyer said his organization is working to have constituents deliver to members of Congress copies of the controversial book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" by Michael Wolff, which challenges Trump's fitness for office.

Steyer will not, however, require House candidates whom he supports to pass a "litmus test" supporting impeaching Trump, he said.

The $30 million will be used to mobilize young voters in 10 key states: Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, California, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Hampshire and Arizona, Steyer said.

Americans will head to the polls in November when 34 seats in the Senate and all 435 House seats will be up for grabs. Democrats are hoping to ride wins last year in Alabama and Virginia to victory in those elections, potentially taking control of Congress.

"The task which I feel called to do is organizing and mobilizing America’s voters – they have got to be the most powerful forces in American politics," Steyer said at a Washington, D.C. press conference.

Steyer said he knows that some Democrats think talking about impeachment is a distraction but that he feels it remains important to focus on ousting Trump.

"We know this makes some of our friends and allies in this city uncomfortable," Steyer said. "We believe this is a false choice – the fact is the two are fundamentally intertwined."

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

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