It's a racket: How online influencers are 'getting paid' to manipulate your vote

"[Espina] 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," Espina said in a posted speech. "He could be traveling around the world or doing whatever he wants, but he wants to serve the people of this state.""

"Bensinger points out, however, that Steyer's campaign was paying him $100,000 "to help win the election." "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,"

"Over on the conservative side of the spectrum, Bensinger reports marketing firm Creator Grid, "has received almost $875,000 from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee since late 2023, including a payment of $35,840 in February." On its website, Creator Grid says it "connects Republican candidates with the internet's most powerful conservative influencers.""

"Bensinger, adding that the financial report offers a rare peek into the world of "pay-for-play social media, where content creators and marketing firms are compensated to promote candidates and opinions in an environment that offers few disclosure requirements. But don't expect to see many similar revelations because political social media agencies scarcely appear in F.E.C. records."

An influencer endorsement on social media may include payment that is not clearly disclosed to audiences. Carlos Eduardo Espina promoted Tom Steyer to millions of TikTok followers while describing Steyer as wanting to serve people. Campaign finance records indicate Steyer’s campaign paid Espina $100,000 for strategic advice and campaign surrogacy. The payment went to a Texas limited liability company associated with Espina, which also received travel reimbursements connected to Democratic campaign activity. On the conservative side, Creator Grid received nearly $875,000 from Republican party committees since late 2023. Political social media agencies often do not appear in F.E.C. records, limiting transparency.

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