Billionaire Tom Steyer saturating California airwaves with $115M of ads for governor's race

Republican Meg Whitman set a record in 2010 after spending $178.5 million and losing the Golden State's gubernatorial race.

Published: April 19, 2026 2:45pm

Updated: April 19, 2026 2:59pm

Billionaire Tom Steyer is saturating the airwaves with ads for the California governor race, spending about $115 million so far, according to a report on Sunday.

In the ads, Steyer pledges to lower household costs and criticizes federal immigration raids as the June 2 primary election approaches.

According to AdImpact data, Steyer has spent or booked more than $115 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio, which the Associated Press reported that amount is close to 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic challenger.

The AP reported that Republican Meg Whitman set a record in 2010 after spending $178.5 million and losing the gubernatorial race and Steyer might surpass that amount soon.

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