Democrats are leaning on social media stars in Texas, betting that local creators can help them connect with Latino voters in the run-up to the state’s March 3 primary. The approach is being rolled out in the Houston area as early voting begins, and it centers on recruiting online influencers to expand how Democratic messaging reaches audiences outside traditional campaign venues, the Associated Press reported.
The strategy’s Houston launch came at an evening rally at a Mexican restaurant, where several lawmakers and influencers mingled with attendees who posted about the event online. Among those who drew attention was Carlos Eduardo Espina, a progressive political influencer described by the AP as having more than 14 million followers on TikTok, who took selfies with attendees while participating alongside elected officials.
Espina was one of 10 Houston-area influencers at the center of a broader plan Democrats hope will extend beyond the immediate primary. The effort, developed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ political arm, seeks to build a network of content creators to engage Latino voters—after many of those voters shifted toward Republicans two years earlier, according to the AP report.
Rep. Linda Sanchez, a California Democrat and chair of the caucus’ political action committee, said the Republicans’ outreach to “nontraditional voices” was not something Democrats had fully anticipated. “The Trump campaign reached out to those nontraditional voices to amplify their message,” Sanchez told the AP, adding, “We didn’t anticipate that was going to be a way by which politics was disseminated. We’ve seen the contrary, that we do need to be in those spaces, as well.”
The Houston effort is being packaged as “RUIDO,” a Spanish word meaning noise, and it is described as a network of online content creators meant to carry Democrats’ messaging. Program materials, as described by the AP, say the caucus offers stipends to accepted creators, with the money intended to support travel expenses so the creators can work with political campaigns.
Espina said he viewed the initiative as a sign Democrats are trying to catch up with Republicans on engagement outside standard events. “I do think there’s a lot of failures in the past Democratic Party, but I think initiatives like this one are pretty cool,” Espina said in an interview with the AP, describing the effort as a way to connect with voters in spaces where they already spend time online.
The AP report said the caucus’ strategy comes as Democrats continue to grapple with dissatisfaction with the party and with questions about how to reach voters who do not typically engage in politics—particularly younger voters, voters of color, and those without college degrees, after the 2024 presidential election. The report also said President Donald Trump made inroads with Latino voters in 2024 with an approach that leaned heavily on streamers, podcasters and other online creators.
The influencers recruited for the Houston network include a mix of political and lifestyle content creators—ranging from political influencers to accounts focused on food, travel, sports and local attractions—with followings described as ranging from a few thousand to around 100,000. Carlos Castillo, one of the creators in the network, said in an interview with the AP that people “are going to act more when they hear from a family member, when they hear from a friend,” describing organic-style mentions of upcoming primaries in everyday content rather than traditional ads.
The AP also reported that it is not clear whether recruiting local influencers in competitive races will be effective for Democrats. Espina, who posts videos in Spanish about politics and regularly draws hundreds of thousands of likes, said the substance of the messaging and authenticity are central to persuading voters online. He said lawmakers would ultimately need to make the case directly in their elections themselves, and he argued that Democrats’ shift toward focusing on economic and cultural issues that match how people live has improved following the 2024 election.
On whether he might run for office himself, Espina said he sees his influence as a social media creator as greater, at least for now, than what he could have from an elected role he could pursue. In the AP report, Espina said, “Honestly, that I have more influence, at least right now, as a social media content creator, than I would in any kind of elected office, at least any that I can run for,” and added, “Who knows, maybe I’ll run against Ted Cruz in a few years,” describing it as “pretty fun.”