When Will Tom Wolf Speak Out Against Tom Steyer?

HARRISBURG — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Communications Director Megan Sweeney released the following statement regarding the recent TV ads from Democrat-allied Liberal Political Action Committee NextGen Climate Action Committee — Pennsylvania.

“Now that millionaire Tom Wolf bought his the Democrat nomination, he’s turning to liberal billionaires like Tom Steyer to fight his battles for him,” Sweeney said. “Tom Wolf’s hypocrisy on campaign finance has started from the beginning of this race when he called for limits on Pennsylvanians giving to candidates and then proceeded to give himself a $10 million dollar check and now he remains strangely quiet about receiving support from deep-pocketed billionaire and Obama confidant such as Tom Steyer with a radical agenda to cost Pennsylvanians their jobs.

“I’m sure ducking questions about his lack of a budget and pension plan can be time-consuming for Tom Wolf, but Pennsylvanians deserve to know where Wolf stands on Steyer’s misleading television commercials. It’s not surprising that an outsider such as Tom Steyer wouldn’t realize that Tom Corbett has responsibly made Pennsylvania an energy superpower at the same time increasing state education spending every year he’s been in office, but certainly Tom Wolf’s refusal to correct the record is troubling.

“Tom Wolf’s silence regarding Tom Steyer’s misleading television ads serves as further proof that Wolf is more concerned about politics than principle.”

Steyer-Funded Company Pumping “Hundreds Of Millions” Into Overseas Coal Plants On July 4, 2014, The New York Times reported, “Over the past 15 years, Mr. Steyer’s fund, Farallon Capital Management, has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into companies that operate coal mines and coal-fired power plants from Indonesia to China, records and interviews show.” (Michael L. Barbaro and Coral Davenport, “Aims of Donor Are Shadowed by Past in Coal,” New York Times, 7/4/2014)

Under Steyer’s Leadership, Farallon Held Stock In Coal Plants, Nuclear Plants, And Oil And Gas Companies In Texas, Oklahoma And Louisiana. “So-called powerhouse Democratic donor Tom Steyer, who has donated $5 million to defeat Prop 23, which would suspend green power in California, runs an investment firm that holds stock in ‘dirty coal’ and nuclear plants, oil and gas companies in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Additionally, Steyer’s investment firm holds stock in the leading photovoltaic solar panel supplier in California, Yingli Green Energy Holding Company of China.” (Wayne Lusvardi, “Prop. 23 Foe Profits From “‘Dirty Coal,’” Cal Watchdog, 10/28/2010)

Steyer’s “Wealth And His Political Connections” Have Allowed Him To Play A “Critical” Role In Shaping The Obama Administration’s Energy Policy. “But it’s not as if Steyer, 55, needs an official government perch to make an impact. Armed with his wealth and his political connections, Steyer has played a critical behind-the-scenes role in helping shape the country’s national energy policy.” (Juliet Eilperin, “Billionaire Has Unique Role In Official Washington: Climate Change Radical,” The Washington Post, 2/17/2013)

Tom Wolf’s Anti-Koch Brothers’ Campaign In addition to a petition asking voters to stand up against the Koch brothers, the Wolf campaign criticized “out of state billionaires” in social media statement in June, 2013. Steyer currently resides in San Francisco, CA. (Peter Olsen-Phillips, Nancy Watzman and Jacob Fenton, “Reversing Trend, Democrats Top The List Of Biggest Super PAC Donors,” Sunlight Foundation, 2/4/2014)

Over the past four years, Governor Corbett and Republicans in the General Assembly have increased funding for early, basic and postsecondary education by more than $1 billion. (“Governor Corbett Signs Budget that Invests a Record $12 Billion in Education,” Office of the Governor, 7/10/2014)

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