Political money is flowing to influencers. But who’s paying?
Last month, Carlos Eduardo Espina, a progressive influencer, revealed a surprising endorsement to his 14.5 million followers on TikTok: He would support Tom Steyer, the billionaire running for California governor as a Democrat.
“I really believe Tom Steyer is different,” Mr. Espina said in a speech that he posted on social media. “He could be traveling around the world or doing whatever he wants, but he wants to serve the people of this state.”
Unmentioned in Mr. Espina’s post: Mr. Steyer’s campaign was paying him $100,000 to help win the election.
A few days earlier, Mr. Espina, who lives in Texas, had noted in a video that the campaign hired him to consult on issues related to Latinos, which are the primary focus of Mr. Espina’s social media posts. But none of his several dozen subsequent posts on TikTok, Instagram or Threads promoting Mr. Steyer noted the financial arrangement.
The $100,000 fee, buried in campaign finance records, is described as a payment for “strategic advice and campaign surrogacy.” The money went to a limited liability company in Texas that Mr. Espina also used to receive a travel reimbursement from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2024.
Mr. Espina’s arrangement provides a rare glimpse into the world of pay-for-play social media, where content creators and marketing firms are increasingly compensated to promote candidates or points of view and where there are few requirements for disclosure. The paid advocacy exists outside the realm of traditional lobbying and campaigning, reaching younger, more online audiences unlikely to be swayed by television advertisements or glossy mailers.
Democratic and Republican groups have spent millions on this type of communication over each of the past few campaign cycles, according to consultants and campaign officials from both parties. Yet little is known about many of the payments. The Federal Election Commission, the agency that monitors political spending, says its rules governing disclosure for traditional political advertising do not apply to social media. And the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates deceptive business practices, requires influencers to disclose payments for promoting commercial products and services but, it says, does not regulate political advertisements.
As a result, paid influence has become a magnet for campaigns and groups that want to push political priorities without disclosing where their money is going or revealing that some of their supporters are being paid. [Continue reading…]