California Gubernatorial Candidate Paid $100,000 to Texas-Based Influencer

California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer paid $100,000 to Carlos Eduardo Espina, a 27-year-old Uruguayan-American activist based in Houston, for strategic advice and campaign surrogacy. Espina has more than 22 million followers and posts primarily in Spanish.

Campaign records show the payment covered work during the current election cycle. Espina has posted dozens of videos and reels promoting Steyer, some showing him wearing a "Tom Steyer for Governor" shirt.

Kevin Liao, a spokesperson for the Steyer campaign, said payments for creator content are disclosed in campaign finance reports and that creators are notified of disclosure requirements. He stated the campaign is confident that a complaint filed with state regulators is baseless.

Espina told the New York Times that his posts were made independently and did not require disclosure because they were not part of the paid arrangement. He described his role as focused on advising rather than content creation.

Steyer described Espina in April as a "trusted ambassador" who would connect with Latino voters in California. Espina said many of his followers are from California and that he advised Steyer to increase campaign stops in the Latino-heavy Central Valley.

The June 2 primary is approaching, with Steyer seeking the Democratic nomination against Xavier Becerra, a former federal Health and Human Services secretary.