WaPo: Online Influencers Were Paid Big Money to Court US Votes

Online influencers were paid big money to court American voters, though the public wouldn't know any better as there is no federal requirement to disclose whether posts were paid for by a politician or a super PAC, reported The Washington Post.

According to data from Billion Dollar Boy and Censuswide, 39% of U.S. creators have been approached to work on paid political content for an election or voter campaign, according to EMarketer.

Both candidates have relied heavily on social media this election.

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has embraced viral videos and memes, and former President Donald Trump has used TikTok and Truth Social as an important part of his 2024 campaign.

Harris' "mobilization team" saw success embracing "brat summer," "femininomenon," celebrity endorsements, and coconut tree memes.

In August, Trump sat down with X owner Elon Musk on the platform, with over 25 million users listening to the interview from start to finish.

Both have leveraged online influencers as well, though it isn't clear how much has been paid overall.

According to the Post, the Harris campaign has paid more than $500,000 to the social media firms Good Influence and People First Marketing.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent nearly $500,000 on work with Creator Grid Inc., whose website says it "connects Republican candidates with the internet's most powerful conservative influencers."

The Democratic National Committee and Harris campaign have also since March 2023 paid nearly $4 million to Village Marketing Agency, which says it has also developed influencer marketing campaigns for Netflix, SoulCycle, and Anheuser-Busch.

Turning Point USA, a pro-Trump youth group founded by Charlie Kirk, has raised more than $3 million since 2023, according to federal election disclosures. It runs an online influencer program.

Some officials say there should be more transparency.

"If an influencer is paid to endorse a brand of toothpaste, that has to be disclosed," said Ellen L. Weintraub, one of three Democrats on the six-member Federal Election Commission. "We ought to have the same rules for influencers who want to endorse a candidate."

"Voters deserve to know who is seeking to influence them," wrote the Brennan Center in a comment to the FEC last year.

Sean Cooksey, the FEC's Republican chair, disagrees.

"Political speech is entitled to a higher level of protection under the First Amendment than commercial speech," he said in an interview. "I 100% reject the characterization that keeping pace with technology means regulating technology more."