Tom Steyer the billionaire hedge fund manager turned enviro-political activist is spending big bucks to sway voters toward pro-climate-action democrats in the midterm elections this fall, but some are questioning the factual integrity of ads sponsored by Steyer’s super PAC NextGen. While several respected fact-checking groups have poked holes in some of NextGen’s assertions – PolitiFact gave one its “pants on fire” rating – unless an opposing organization spends the money to directly dispute the factual inaccuracies it is unlikely most voters will hear of the discrepancies.

Playing fast and loose with the facts is “unwise simply because you’re handing a bat to your opponents to use squarely over your noggin,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “It sounds to me as if they need their own fact-checkers on staff.” – San Jose Mercury News

A NextGen spokesperson said the group stands by its ads, one of which an Iowa television station reportedly deemed “mostly true.” Many of the ads target republicans who question the validity of climate change science.

For more on Steyer’s election strategy, read here.