{"id":10177,"date":"2026-05-18T23:41:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=10177"},"modified":"2026-05-18T23:41:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T23:41:40","slug":"tom-steyers-paid-influencer-army-revealed-in-filings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=10177","title":{"rendered":"Tom Steyer&#8217;s paid influencer army revealed in filings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Billionaire governor candidate Tom Steyer is in hot water for reportedly paying for popularity to a growing list of influencers and meme accounts revealed in campaign filings \u2014 as critics accuse the 68-year-old political hopeful of trying to hoodwink voters.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s Fair Political Practices Commission has launched a probe of Steyer\u2019s hefty spending on a small army of Gen Z creators, some of whom didn\u2019t disclose they were being paid by the hedge fund billionaire and later nuked the deceptive posts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Billionaire Tom Steyer paid thousands to social media influencers to boost his bid.  <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Steyer\u2019s most recent Form 460 filing, which details spending through April 18, shows seven influencers cashing in on the billionaire\u2019s record-smashing spending on the California governor\u2019s race, which totals more than $130 million so far. <\/p>\n<p>There were other sneaky payments embedded in payments to agencies like Palette Media, according to California creator Beatrice Gomberg, who filed the FPPC complaint about Steyer.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The hedge fund billionaire has spent more than $130 million on his own campaign.  <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI just want Steyer like everyone else to follow the law. This is literally just about disclosure,\u201d Gomberg said on Instagram. <\/p>\n<p>Steyer paid a whopping $100,000 to Carlos Eduardo Espina, a Uruguayan American influencer with 22 million followers who is based in Texas, the New York Times reported.<\/p>\n<p>Steyer\u2019s records show $5,000 to Palette Media, which works with Steyer \u2014 but the paid relationship isn\u2019t disclosed to fans, Gomberg alleged. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Creator @littleyeg netted $1,500 from Steyer.  <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@littleyegg<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Espina called told the NYTimes he didn\u2019t need to disclose anything because he was \u201cadvising\u201d the campaign. <\/p>\n<p>Other influencers who were paid by Steyer include Isaiah Washington, who goes by @RelatableIsaiah, who netted $10,000 from Steyer\u2019s campaign for \u201conline communications\u201d and later nuked his Instagram account. <\/p>\n<p>Steyer paid an estimated $2,812.50 to Neesh Riaz, known online as @neesh__me, and $1,500 to Yegneh Mahfaher, also known as @littleyeg. Mahfaher, Iranian political commentator with 49,000 followers, interviewed Steyer about war and policy on Israel on March 14. Riaz appears to have deleted one Instagram reel he made three months ago about the Steyer campaign. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Influencer Isaiah Washington allegedly promoted Steyer\u2019s bid without disclosing $10,000 payments to fans.  <span class=\"credit\">Tiktok\/@relatableisaiah<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The campaign made the payments through Gusty Media, a contractor. Some creators appear to be represented by PeopleFirst, an influencer marketing firm that lists the Kamala Harris presidential campaign and Democratic Senate Majority PAC among its clients.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t speak to any specific\u00a0clients, but People First asks creators to follow all FTC\/FEC disclosure guidelines. We understand that some of our competitors\u00a0don\u2019t do this, and we know this puts their clients and creators at risk,\u201d PeopleFirst\u2019s CEO, Ryan Davis, told The Post in an email. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Other paid influencers included Elizabeth Weber, @ewebzz, who made an estimated $2,812.50; Jason Chu, @jasonchumusic, who made $2,000; Madeline Hart, @maddihart_soccer, who made $1,500, Francis Dominic, @francisdominiic, who made an estimated $2,812.50; and Javier Knight, @javierknight_, who earned an estimated $2,812.50, according to campaign filings. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Neesh Riaz made an estimated $2,812,50 from Steyer, per campaign records.  <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@neesh__me<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Steyer\u2019s team has approached additional content creators with offers of $10 per video plus promises of additional bonuses for \u201ccasual, relatable\u201d content promoting the billionaire, The Sacramento Bee reported. <\/p>\n<p>Instagram and TikTok lit up over the weekend with criticism of Steyer\u2019s paid influencer campaign. <\/p>\n<p>One creator, Jose Torres, questioned a chummy May 5 post from the the 3.3 million-follower, Los Angeles-based comedy account Foos Gone Wild.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Steyer appeared on the 3.3-million follower Foos Gone Wild account.  <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@foosgonewild<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the post, which was liked 22,000 times, Steyer wears a shirt reading \u201cdeport all racists\u201d and shows off his white tube socks with an anonymous Foos Gone Wild creator clad in a mask and clown nose. <\/p>\n<p>Steyer slams mass incarceration and grabs lunch with the creator before doing a \u201csock check\u201d inspecting the length of Steyer\u2019s socks \u2014 a recurring theme on the account to test whether someone is \u201clame\u201d or \u201cdown.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Creator Jason Chu made $2,000 for \u201conline communications.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/@jasonchumusic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A hashtag on the post indicates is was part of a partnership with Flighthouse Media, an agency \u201cbridging the gap between brands and Gen Z.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVoters deserve to know when they\u2019re watching campaign funded content,\u201d Torres said in a post Saturday. <\/p>\n<p>Gomberg\u2019s complaint alleged that Steyer and Washington, who didn\u2019t reveal the paid sponsorship in how now-deleted interview with Steyer, violated the advertisement disclaimer section of the Political Reform Act. <\/p>\n<p>Kevin Liao, Steyer\u2019s spokesperson, called the allegations baseless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreators deserve to be\u00a0fairly compensated for their work \u2014 just like any other professional. Unlike other campaigns, we\u2019re fully transparent: every payment we make is publicly disclosed, as required by California law,\u201d Liao told The Post in an email.<\/p>\n<p>The FPPC is investigating the alleged violations. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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