Zephyr Teachout Brilliantly Challenges Her GOP Opponent’s Financial Backers to Debate

Zephyr Teachout, one of the rising stars of the progressive left, is a Fordham law professor running for Congress in New York’s 19th district. Her Republican opponent is John Faso, and like many Republican candidates, he’s essentially a puppet of big money. Rather than pretending that reality doesn’t exist, Teachout made the bold move of challenging Faso’s financiers—Paul Singer and Robert Mercer—to a debate.

Singer is the man behind the hedge fund Eliot Management—Gawker reports they profited to the tune of $2.4 billion from the Argentine debt crisis—and Mercer is free enough with his money that he wasted $11 million on the Ted Cruz presidential effort. Watch Teachout issue the challenge in a video originally posted to her Facebook page:

Here’s what she said in a statement:

“The voters deserve to hear directly from the billionaires backing John Faso about what they expect to get from him in Congress. When someone writes a $500,000 check they don’t do it out of the goodness of their heart. These are people probably trying to buy power, and voters should know who they are and what they stand for. I’m challenging Paul Singer and Robert Mercer to put your mouth where your money is and debate me directly, not through your mouthpiece.”

Mercer and Singer have each given more than $500,000 to Faso’s super PAC, “New York Wins.” Thus far, though, Faso has mostly just mustered a few lame insults, like “carpetbagger.” The big money expenditures are yet to come. No matter what they end up deciding, though, it’s going to take a hell of a campaign to disguise the fact that Zephyr Teachout is an absolute badass. After all, why pretend you’re facing John Faso when he’s clearly a tool of billionaires? Let’s hope this tactic catches on as the progressive movement tries to capitalize nationally on Bernie Sanders’ surprise success.