Documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request show that Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is overwhelmingly in control of how to use public funds to get viewers to vote in the 2024 election. He said he has trained dozens of liberal social media influencers.

Mr. Shapiro announced a day-long campaign on July 25 for Pennsylvania to educate people with large social media followings on how to get their viewers to vote and how to spot “misinformation” about the election. He directed them to pay thousands of dollars to hold a “democracy summer camp.” According to the document, the Internet. DCNF obtained a list of 43 influencers invited by the Governor’s Office to participate in publicly funded training; reviewnone of the influencers were Republican, and roughly 70% had a distinctly liberal social media presence.

The remaining influencers who attended the event had apolitical accounts, but were overwhelmingly from the Democratic Party demographic. university student and african american.

“We all need to get off the sidelines and get into the game and fight for what we believe in,” Shapiro said Records of the event showed a mostly liberal crowd. “Stand strong and proud for the values ​​we hold dear.” (Related: Biden administration wants to send American tax dollars to train India’s army of transgender activists)

Federal Secretary Al Schmidt provided information about voting laws to influential people, according to the documents. Afterward, Gavin Lichtenstein, the governor’s director of digital partnerships, told influencers that social media users would be asking for information about drop boxes and voting deadlines.

“For the governor’s office to use taxpayer funds to endorse only Democratic social media influencers…is very sketchy and a waste of taxpayer money,” Pennsylvania Congressman Seth Grove told DCNF. ” he told DCNF. “That was the cost of taxpayers to run a campaign. I don’t think for a second that they had no interest in inviting Republicans…It was biased and targeted at influential people in the Democratic Party.” I was doing it.”

Maggie McGregor is one of the influencers chosen to participate in the event. daughter The records of Virginia McGregor, treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, have been revealed.

“The US election is about eight weeks from today, but I won’t be sitting on the sidelines” Maggie McGregor said On September 24, her supporters echoed Shapiro’s words: “As you can see, I support Kamala Harris.”

McGregor then encouraged the audience to make a “vote plan” and try to change people’s minds about who they support in the election.

McGregor did not respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

Among the participants at the event were several liberal influencers with large followings. For example, Philadelphia-based comedian Alex Perlman has around 3 million followers worldwide. Instagram and TikTok Consistently posts videos attacking the Republican Party.

Many of Perlman’s posts are critical of conservatives. In a post on Wednesday he said: repeated Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Republicans would abolish Medicaid and Social Security and planned to use the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 as a policy platform..

Perlman also Recommended His followers should make sure their voter registration is up to date.

Aaron Parnas, a pro-Ukrainian influencer invited by the Pennsylvania governor’s office, has more than 800,000 followers. × and TikTok and the work Member of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party.

Perlman and Parnas did not respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.

Another influencer Shapiro invited, Ethan Kelly, has about 650,000 followers worldwide. his account and regularly Post Regarding support for the Democratic Party. isiah martinDemocrat ran 2024 parliamentary election campaign fails; worked As a staffer for Democratic Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, she was among those in attendance.

Kelly and Martin did not respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.

Grove expressed concern about so-called summer camps in July. reported.

“A Democratic administration seeking to rise to the top within the Democratic Party and running for Vice President has asked national content creators to come to Pennsylvania and provide an honest discussion of misinformation, disinformation, and elections. We’re giving them content that we think they should have,” Grove said. “There needs to be a very high level of transparency around this. This is where the misinformation starts.”

Shapiro is reportedly He is on the final list of candidates for the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nomination.

At least two influencers who attended Shapiro’s event, elizabeth booker houston and elizabeth strongrode the Harris campaign’s “reproductive freedom” bus in September. Houston has approximately 600,000 followers across his social media accounts. largely exclusively Posts about support for the Democratic Party and opposition to the Republican Party.

Houston and Strong did not respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.

The Democratic summer camp, held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 25, cost Pennsylvania approximately $4,000, including $1,170 for breakfast, $1,820 for lunch, and $1,820 for lunch, according to documents. Includes $200 drink fee for participants. Grove noted that the $4,000 figure does not include salaries paid to state employees who plan and run the event.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Office also invited Jordan Meiselas of left-wing social media brands Meidas Touch and Sami Sage of Vetch’s News to coach influencers who attended the event on how to spread their posts. MeidasTouch Started as an Anti-Trump PAC, Published False Content, Rolling Stone Magazine reported.

Grove, the top Republican on the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee, told DCNF, “They shouldn’t have done it, and they shouldn’t have spent taxpayer money. Governor Shapiro’s campaign should reimburse the people of the Commonwealth for the cost of this event.” I think so,” he told DCNF. . “They knew they were wrong and they knew they were using tax dollars to put on an event just for Democrats.”

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Office did not respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

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