The New York Times reported Oct. 19 that at least 36 clips backing Rep. Haley Stevens drew millions of views in the run-up to Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate primary.
The newspaper identified at least 36 videos posted in August on X, Facebook, Threads and Instagram. The footage featured people on the street voicing support for Stevens and raising campaign topics.
The New York Times reported that posters outside the United States received US$1 to US$5 per 1,000 views for sharing the material. Disinformation researchers cited by the newspaper traced most accounts distributing the clips to India.
The report also linked the distribution to networks offering accounts for hire. Payment tied to view counts gave posters a financial incentive to spread the clips widely.
