CALIFORNIA — Beatrice Gomberg and Kaitlyn Hennessy filed a complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission in May 2024 alleging that Tom Steyer's gubernatorial campaign failed to notify hired social media influencers of their disclosure obligations under a 2023 state law. The law requires influencers to disclose if they have been paid to create promotional content for or against a candidate or ballot measure.

Several social media influencers posted videos promoting Steyer's California gubernatorial campaign without disclosing they had been paid by the campaign. According to the campaign's most recent finance filings, Steyer's operation appears to have relied on paid influencers more than any other candidate for governor, paying thousands of dollars to numerous creators with large audiences. Steyer has contributed nearly $180 million of his own money to his campaign war chest.

"Creators make their living generating content. The campaign believes in compensating people for their time and work product and has paid creators to generate content," campaign spokesperson Kevin Liao said. "Payments for creator content are disclosed in campaign finance reports, and we notify creators we directly work with of their disclosure requirements," he added.

The complaint noted that many new pro-Steyer social media accounts posted similar-sounding videos with identical language and talking points. An advertisement placed by a vendor for the campaign initially offered creators $10 for each post, with bonuses for posts that garnered large viewership. The advertisement was later updated to state it pays $1,000 per month and requires creators to disclose that their content is paid.

Some influencers promoting the campaign are based outside California, including in Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Michigan. One influencer mispronounced Steyer's last name in a video. A TikTok user with the name Jaz R. posted, "Hear me out. I know Tom Steyer is a billionaire, but he also is for the people." In another post, the same user said, "I did not expect the most progressive governor candidate to be a billionaire, but look at the policies you guys."

"What they're trying to do is trip the algorithm. It looks like it has a bigger audience than it really does. It's taking the concept of astroturfing into the digital age," said Mike Madrid, a veteran California political strategist.

The 2023 California law was sponsored by State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Orange). Violations carry no criminal, civil or administrative penalties, but the Fair Political Practices Commission may seek a court order to force compliance. There is no federal requirement for influencers to disclose paid promotional content for candidates or ballot measures. The commission did not comment on the complaint.