Riding the tea-party wave, Republicans took control of North Carolina for the first time since the 1860s, back when the GOP was the liberal party. Anticipating a Blue Wave in 2016, billionaire Tom Steyer is signaling his intent to help Democrats regain control of the Tar Heel state.

California billionaire Tom Steyer announced Tuesday that he plans to invest $1 million into the effort to flip North Carolina’s 9th and 13th congressional districts by mobilizing young voters.

The money is on top of $30 million he’s spending on NextGen Rising, a campaign to energize millennial voters in more than two dozen key districts in 10 states.

Steyer told the Observer that in North Carolina he’ll put 11 full-time and 25 part-time staffers on 12 college campuses in the two districts. In addition, he wants to target 100,000 young voters through a mail and digital campaign.

The districts are now represented by Republicans Robert Pittenger of Charlotte in the 9th and Ted Budd of Davie County in the 13th. Each has a well-funded Democratic opponent…

Steyer, 60, is a former hedge fund manager and an environmental activist. He’s already one of the biggest spenders on the 2018 election. According to the Washington Post, he’s invested more than $15.7 million in Democratic-leaning super PACs. That’s more than all but one other donor.

Steyer also leads an effort to impeach President Donald Trump and has appeared in commercials urging impeachment. He called the 2018 elections “a fight for the soul of America.”

“This is the critical year for America,” he said. “This is a fight for the soul of America. . . . I believe this country is on a disastrous path. If we can’t turn that around I believe they (Republicans) will lead us to ruin.”

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