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A significant proportion of Democrats, many of whom have expressed dissatisfaction with the direction Elon Musk has taken X (formerly known as Twitter), seem to be readily investing considerable financial resources for advertising on the social media giant.
Closer examination reveals that the critics of Musk’s leadership are among those who are shelling out large sums for promotional campaigns on the revamped platform, a strategy that stirred controversy when uncovered by the Post.
A detailed data analysis revealed expenditure on political ads from February 2023, extending to projections for January 2024. An intriguing observation from the data points was that the seven heaviest spenders among the total nine were all Democrats, with the pinnacle of expenditure reaching a towering $169,000.
The advertising efforts on X’s platform go beyond individuals, extending to over 50 Democratic candidates, as well as campaign and party groups. Their mutual intention seems to be to exploit X’s massive reach to connect with potential voters and financial supporters.
The two prominent American parties, Democrats and Republicans, show a similar trend in investing in X for their advertisements, creating a near parity in their expenditures. However, it’s the Democrats’ strategy that has caught more attention, especially considering their vocal criticism of the platform.
A significant number of Democrats serving the U.S. House of Representatives, notably Representative Adam Schiff of California and Representative Dan Goldman of New York, had echoed concerns about X’s lax approach to harmful content. Their apprehensions, put forth in an official letter to Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino, dwelt on X’s apparent inconsistent adherence to its own policies on misinformation and content promoting hate, violence, and radical ideologies. Surprisingly, X was accused of capitalizing on such content.
Against this backdrop, Schiff’s expenditure of over $90,000 for political advertisements on X comes off as puzzling. These figures, substantiated by the Post, suggest a stark contrast between his publicly expressed concerns about X and his spending activities on the same platform.
Goldman has taken a different strategy. Simone Kanter, spokesperson for Goldman’s campaign, informed The Daily Caller News Foundation that all of Goldman’s spending on X had halted from November 11 due to concerns over widespread disinformation on the platform. Her remarks were also reported by the Post, providing additional credibility to the decision.
According to the Post, Montana Senator Jon Tester outstripped his Democratic colleagues as the biggest spender on X’s advertising services. He had reportedly forked out nearly $170,000 on more than 200 ads on the platform, including several in the month of December.
Other notable spenders on the Democratic side include Representative Katie Porter from California, Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and California Governor Gavin Newsom. The Post indicates that expenditure for each of these political figures crossed the hefty sum of $74,000.
Simultaneously, a wave of departure from X’s advertising services was evident among commercial corporations. In the wake of allegations by the left-wing activist group Media Matters concerning ads displayed next to antisemitic content, eight major corporations opted out of X. It’s also worth noting that Musk’s message was viewed by some as antisemitic, adding to the exodus.
Mega corporations such as Apple, Comcast, IBM, Lionsgate, Paramount Global, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery were on the list of those who withdrew their advertisements from X’s platform, a decision trailing closely after the controversy sparked by Musk’s contentious post.
Interestingly, a letter spearheaded by Schiff and Gallego was dispatched to Musk in October, voicing urgency for X to act on the disinformation related to elections. An additional revelation pointed at Musk reportedly sacking employees committed to overseeing the issue.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to several parties involved in this narrative, which included X, Schiff, Tester, Porter, Gallego, Brown, and Newsom. As of the moment, the news source is yet to receive responses.
