Democratic Voters Hesitate As CA Gubernatorial Candidates Face Backlash, Polls Show

SACRAMENTO, CA — California's governor's race remains tight in the final 48 hours of the campaign, and political experts say the frontrunner is still up for grabs between three candidates, even as the two Democratic contenders face allegations of campaign improprieties.

Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer has risen in the polls but new claims that the billionaire businessman's campaign has been paying content creators to boost his bid for governor are hounding his campaign due to a lack of transparency about the arrangement.

Before the complaints surfaced, Steyer was already in the spotlight for spending more on the 2026 governor's race than any other candidate.

Steyer paid more than $120,000 to at least eight content creators, and in one case he reportedly paid a single influencer $100,000, The New York Times reported on May 16.

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According to campaign filings, Steyer was also paying a digital agency $870,000, soliciting influencers to regularly post videos promoting his campaign. Recent filings do not show Steyer's campaign payments to any content creators, but a spokesperson for his campaign said they will appear in the next filings.

Professor Christian Grose, director of the USC Democracy and Fair Elections Lab, said the rampant attacks Steyer is facing indicate he is still a formidable candidate — and the latest complaints about poor campaign disclosures won't likely hurt his campaign.

"It would not surprise me if multiple campaigns are paying social media influencers to help things go viral. Very online people will be concerned about these allegations of purchasing social media influence, but most people won't care," said Grose.

"The risk of wildfires, insurance regulation, climate change, and affordability are the issues driving voters. On the Democratic side, voters care more about who is going to fight (President Donald Trump) than who is buying social media influence," he added.

Critics say a lack of disclosure from many of the influencers who were paid by Steyer's campaign is an issue, as well as the use of creators who do not live in California.

A state law passed in 2023 requires influencers to disclose their paid partnership with a political campaign in their social media content. Regulators are now investigating if any violations were made during the campaign.

Last week, a complaint was filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) accusing Steyer's campaign of paying content creators to promote his campaign.

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In an email to Patch on Thursday, Steyer's campaign shared a statement posted to the candidate's Substack account.

In the open letter, Steyer said his campaign does not pay for endorsements and hit back at his leading Democratic rival's campaign, whom Steyer accused of paying content creators "indirectly, through consultants and shadowy groups that voters never get to see clearly."

In the letter, Steyer said:

"Our campaign believes in transparency; it's central to how we've operated since day one. Every dollar spent by this campaign is publicly disclosed and available for anyone to see. We’re the only campaign in the race that can say the following honestly: No dark money, no hidden shell organizations, no secret networks, and no Big Oil money. We have nothing to hide.

This transparency extends to our engagement with creators. We compensate them for their work and their time, just like campaigns pay staff, consultants, media firms, strategists, and vendors across every part of politics. Every creator we compensate has been and will be publicly disclosed as required by law."

CalMatters reported on Wednesday that Kevin Liao, a spokesperson for Steyer, said the campaign is satisfying its legal obligations. In response to being asked why Steyer's campaign paid out-of-state influencers, he said "I don’t see why that's an issue."

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"Content creators, wherever they're based, have followers in California," he added.

After the complaint was filed, several social influencers who promoted candidates have reportedly posted disclaimers with their content.

Emerson College Polling released a poll Saturday showing Steyer trailing Becerra with 22 percent support among likely voters to Becerra's 28 percent. Republican commentator Steve Hilton was trailing with 21 percent followed by GOP rival Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 12 percent.

The race still appears fluid.

A poll released days earlier on Tuesday showed Steyer trailing Becerra with 15 percent of support among likely California voters. Becerra led the Democrats with 21 percent of support among likely voters. Hilton was leading all candidates with 22 percent. Bianco polled at 10 percent. Former Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond were behind Bianco with less than 10 percent of support among likely voters.

The survey of 1,200 likely California primary election voters was commissioned by the California Democratic Party.

Grose said it's possible Democratic voters have reservations about Steyer and former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra — and noted voters are returning their ballots later than California has historically seen.

"This means Steyer's and Becerra's chances will lean on who they can mobilize," he said.