Espina Backed Steyer to 14.5 Million Followers Without Disclosing $100,000 Campaign Payment
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 16
Espina Backed Steyer to 14.5 Million Followers Without Disclosing $100,000 Campaign Payment
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 16
$100,000 in campaign payments to Carlos Eduardo Espina went undisclosed in several dozen posts endorsing Tom Steyer to the influencer’s 14.5 million TikTok followers.
Campaign finance records described the money as payment for “strategic advice and campaign surrogacy,” routed to a Texas LLC that also received a 2024 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee travel reimbursement.
Espina had said in an earlier video that Steyer’s campaign hired him to consult on Latino issues, but his later TikTok, Instagram and Threads promotions did not mention the financial arrangement.
The arrangement highlights a growing pay-for-play political influencer market with few disclosure requirements, giving campaigns a way to reach younger online voters outside traditional ads and lobbying.
Is a paid TikTok endorsement more powerful than a traditional TV ad in shaping today's elections?
How can you tell if an influencer’s political endorsement is genuine or just another paid advertisement?
Should creators be legally required to disclose when politicians pay them for social media posts?