Political Money Is Flowing to Influencers. But From Whom?

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.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/16/business/media/influencers-political-financing-disclosure.html