US campaign groups are spending millions of dollars to hire social media influencers with modest followings, seeking to sway voters from niche communities in tightly fought elections across the country in November.
President Joe Biden has been wooing celebrity influencers, recently hosting a White House reception with several hundred viral internet stars with millions of followers, including actor Kalen Allen and artist Devon Rodriguez. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has also courted high-profile conservative influencers such as Chaya Raichik, who is behind the X social media account “Libs of TikTok”.
According to multiple operatives and strategists, there has also been an explosion of political marketing groups focused on deploying less renowned social media users who typically have hundreds to tens of thousands of followers.