Steyer, Becerra clash over paid influencers in CA governor’s race. What to know
The primary for California governor has erupted into a fight over hidden payments to social media influencers. Both campaigns have filed dueling state ethics complaints and traded accusations ahead of the June 2 primary.
The battle between the two leading Democratic candidates started when a memo from Tom Steyer’s campaign — first reported by The Bee — became public.
Here are key takeaways:
- Steyer’s campaign paid TikTok influencer Isaiah Washington $10,000 for a friendly interview video. It approached other creators at $10 per video through an app called SideShift with instructions to keep posts “casual, relatable” and avoid mentioning Steyer directly.
- A strategy memo told creators to focus on policies Steyer supports — like taxing the wealthy and abolishing ICE — while targeting rival Xavier Becerra over Chevron donations and his 1994 crime bill vote and aiming to cut into Becerra’s support among Latino and Black voters. And it told creators to focus on liberal California voters, “think Pod Save America listeners.”
- The Fair Political Practices Commission opened an investigation into Steyer’s campaign and Washington for potentially violating a 2023 California law that requires online influencers to disclose when they’re paid to support a candidate.
- Becerra’s campaign got pulled into the fight after hiring influencer Jordan “Jay” Gonzalez as a digital strategist. He quietly went back and added paid disclaimers to weeks of older Instagram and Facebook posts supporting Becerra.
- Steyer’s campaign fired back by filing its own FPPC complaint against Becerra, arguing the campaign failed to properly notify Gonzalez of disclosure rules. It accused rivals of operating “through consultants and shadowy groups” rather than openly paying creators.
- Steyer has paid creators anywhere from $60 to $50,000, funneling money through firms like Flighthouse and Pollution Media, while Becerra’s campaign has so far reported paying Gonzalez just $2,000 via a digital ad firm.
- Steyer’s team commissioned a report claiming more than 3,000 fake bot accounts boosted Becerra and attacked Steyer online. A Becerra spokesperson dismissed the findings as an attempt to “create as much chaos as possible” before a campaign filing deadline.
- Steyer, who has poured $200 million of his own money into the race, is polling in contention with Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, while Becerra’s campaign has leaned into memes accusing the billionaire of trying to “buy” the election.
Lia Russell
The Sacramento Bee