"California Environmental Advocate Invests in Virginia Governor's Race"

"California billionaire Thomas Steyer is taking his fight against climate change to Virginia, helping to buy TV ads criticizing Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli."



"WASHINGTON — California billionaire and clean energy philanthropist Thomas Steyer is spending $400,000 on television ads critical of Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, the latest effort by the former hedge-fund-manager-turned-environmental activist to inject climate change into statewide elections.

Steyer's donation through his political action fund, NextGen Climate Action, helped widen distribution of a League of Conservation Voters ad against Cuccinelli from northern Virginia to Norfolk, Richmond and Charlottesville, starting Wednesday night.

The ad slams Cuccinelli, Virginia's attorney general, as a "climate change denier" who allegedly wasted taxpayer money on litigation aimed at obtaining the personal emails of a leading climate scientist from the University of Virginia. Cuccinelli lost the case. He is running for governor against Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman and close advisor to the Clintons."

Neela Banerjee reports for the Los Angeles Times August 7, 2013.

Source: LA Times, 08/08/2013