Dozens of Democratic-aligned influencers have been offered up to $8,000 per month to participate in a secretive program designed to boost the party’s messaging online, according to documents and group chats reviewed by WIRED.
The initiative, known as the Chorus Creator Incubator Program, is run by Chorus—a nonprofit arm of the influencer marketing company Good Influence—and funded by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, one of the most powerful liberal dark money groups. Participants say contracts came with strict secrecy clauses, prohibiting influencers from disclosing they were being paid or even acknowledging their ties to Chorus. Creators also had to route meetings with lawmakers through Chorus and could not produce political content without pre-approval.
Some of the influencers approached or enrolled include David Pakman, host of the progressive YouTube program The David Pakman Show; Olivia Julianna, a Gen Z activist who spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention; Leigh McGowan, known online as “Politics Girl”; Eliza Orlins, a public defender and Survivor contestant; Arielle Fodor, an education creator with over 1.4 million TikTok followers; and Sander Jennings, a reality TV personality and brother of trans influencer Jazz Jennings.
Internal discussions show creators were uneasy about the restrictions. “There are at least four other things that should change,” influencer Pari (@womeninamerica) wrote in a group chat, while Aaron Parnas, a Gen Z news influencer, warned the contract was “take it or leave it.” Eventually, many signed on.
Critics say the secrecy undermines transparency in political messaging. Don Heider of Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics said, “If the contract says you can’t disclose funding, you can’t ethically take the money.” Elizabeth Dubois, a University of Ottawa professor studying political communication, warned that influencers are increasingly used in “shadow campaigns” to skirt disclosure rules.
The Sixteen Thirty Fund has been a major Democratic funder for more than a decade. It distributed $400 million in 2020, much of it to groups working to unseat Trump and flip the Senate. In 2022, it spent nearly $200 million on ballot initiatives, including abortion rights measures. Tax filings show the fund relies heavily on a handful of wealthy donors, including one who gave $50.5 million in 2023.
Chorus itself was cofounded in 2024 by Democratic influencer Brian Tyler Cohen, who runs a popular YouTube channel, and political consultant Stuart Perelmuter. According to its fundraising materials, Chorus claims access to a collective audience of over 40 million followers and 100 million weekly viewers.
While some creators welcomed the resources, others bristled. Liberal influencer V Spehar accused Chorus of misusing their likeness in fundraising decks, while Kat Abughazaleh—now running for Congress—demanded her image be removed. Keith Edwards, a rising Democratic YouTuber, called the structure “predatory” and said he would never agree to such secrecy.
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