Since 1993, my state has been represented by the same Senate delegation, consisting of Senators Dianne Feinstein (senior) and Barbara Boxer (junior). Of course, all good things must come to an end, and Boxer decided to call it quits instead of run for a fifth consecutive term in the upper body.
With over 38 million people, California is by the far the largest state in the nation and with that, it has the largest pool of ambitious politicos looking for a promotion. With Boxer's retirement, they finally have an opportunity to do so. State Attorney General Kamala Harris, one of the brightest (if not the brightest) national rising star, quickly announced her candidacy, and is, without a doubt, the frontrunner for the position at the moment.
But this is California. A once in a lifetime opportunity has come up and not every Democrat is willing to let Harris have the field to herself. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles County) and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange County) are making waves about running, among others. But there's one name that strikes most people as the most viable challenger to Harris.
Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer.
Yep, Tom Steyer has a lot of money. But there is a reason why I said "most people" believe he's the biggest threat to Harris. Why? Simply put, I'm underwhelmed with Steyer. I'm just not convinced he could win. And there's a few simple, but major reasons as to why I have that opinion.
Head below the fold with me to explore my doubts about Steyer's ability to win the seat.