Billionaire activist Tom Steyer said Tuesday that two-thirds of the people signing his petition to impeach President Donald Trump don't vote, claiming his efforts will serve as a left-wing base motivator.
MSNBC host Hallie Jackson brought up Steyer's multi-million dollar ad campaign calling for Trump's impeachment during their interview, wondering if it was backfiring. She cited a CBS poll last month showing 40 percent of voters would be "less likely" to support a candidate backing impeachment, versus 30 percent of voters who would be "more likely" to support such a person.
"So is this strategy backfiring?" Jackson asked.
"Not at all," Steyer said.
Jackson pointed out the National Republican Congressional Committee chair Steve Stivers (R., Ohio) said Steyer's efforts served to fire up the GOP base.
"What we see in the 5 and a half million who signed our petition is about two-thirds of them don't vote," Steyer said. "And if they in fact go to the polls, that's about 10,000 people per congressional district who normally don't show up."
"What we know is that Democrats want impeachment, and that it is a spur for them to go to the polls," he added.
He said in California the impeachment efforts were serving to rev up voters. Steyer has met opposition for his campaign from national Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.).