Overview
- Kalshi told reporters on Friday it asked several paid influencers to delete posts on X that paired Kalshi or Polymarket odds with claims that late mail ballots were 'stealing' the Los Angeles mayoral primary.
- Multiple outlets showed right‑wing influencers such as Gunther Eagleman, Kangmin Lee, Benny Johnson and Matt Van Swoll shared posts labeled as paid partnerships that promoted skepticism about late-arriving ballots.
- Kalshi said the flagged posts broke its affiliate marketing policy and were removed, while Polymarket did not respond to requests for comment about similar sponsored posts.
- A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the use of paid promotion to spread election misinformation and warned that profiting from doubt could erode public trust ahead of the November 2026 midterms.
- The episode spotlights a broader trend of prediction‑market firms building large influencer and media deals after regulators eased constraints, with reporting that a Polymarket marketing executive paid about $350,000 to influencers last year.