BOSTON — Influencers are taking to social media to vouch for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in his reelection campaign — in both paid and unpaid ways — as Congressman Seth Moulton continues to use the 80-year-old incumbent’s age as a talking point in his attempts to unseat Markey.
When Markey faced a primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III in 2020, his campaign got a boost from a network of young and very online supporters, a base of social media cred and support that came to be known as the Markeyverse. This time around, Markey seems to be looking to revive that type of a network.
In a video on Instagram labeled as being “In partnership with @edmarkey,” 25-year-old influencer Maria Comstock satirically speaks in favor of Moulton.
“Well I’m voting for Seth Moulton because he’s younger than Ed Markey, which logically means he’s more progressive. No, stop, don’t look at his voting record,” Comstock sarcastically says in the video. “Anyway, vote Moulton for a change for better or worse. Maybe worse,” Comstock says at the end of the video, which has over 200,000 views.
In another post that’s labeled as a partnership with Markey, influencer Brett Carter (@fossildaddy) urges viewers to vote for the incumbent and follow his Instagram account.
“He has consistently stood up for LGBTQ equality and for immigration policies that emphasize civil rights, due process and human dignity,” Carter says.
Boston travel creator @kevykevvworldwide focused an Aug. 13 Markey partnership video on the incumbent’s workplace safety legislation.
Some influencers are striking out on their own, promoting without a partnership. An Aug. 19 video posted on Instagram by Sarah Whitman (@slarrry) tells viewers she’s picking Markey because “he’s not taking any money from corporate or foreign lobbying and he never has”; an Aug. 3 video posted by Katie McManus (@therealkatiemcmanus) calls Markey “one of the most progressive senators in Congress” and says “he’s been doing so much to resist the current regime”; and a July 8 video with almost 95,000 views posted by influencer Victoria Hammett calls Moulton “a snake in the grass” and “one of the most conservative” reps in Congress before speaking about Moulton’s past AIPAC connections.
Asked by the News Service how much Markey’s campaign has spent on social media video ads, spokesperson Jonathan Ng said, “The campaign is proud to work with content creators who share Senator Markey’s progressive values and believe in the fights he is leading — lowering costs, taking on corporate power, protecting our climate, and delivering for working families in Massachusetts. We believe creators should be fairly compensated for their work, and every paid partnership is clearly identified so voters know when they are seeing sponsored campaign content.”
Campaign finance records show that between January 2025 and June 2026, Markey spent more than $546,000 on political communication services from Aisle 518 Strategies, a digital and political consulting firm focused on progressive candidates. He also paid $6,000 to Four Lions Media; Comstock is one of the company’s 36 followers on Instagram.
Moulton’s campaign did not respond to an inquiry about whether Moulton has paid, or done partnerships with, influencers to promote his campaign and platform.
Moulton’s camp this week has ramped up attacks on Markey and “his tech illiteracy and confusion about the difference between AI and social media.” The criticism stems from Markey’s response to a debate question last week. Asked whether he personally uses AI platforms like Claude or ChatGPT, Markey said he uses “whatever is inside of my iPhone and my iPad, whatever comes up. And I don’t know what companies my iPad might be using.”
Asked Wednesday on CNN how important it is for lawmakers to understand AI technologies that they are seeking to regulate, Markey pointed to the multistate settlement announced Wednesday with Meta, which is primarily a social media company.
“Well, I am the leader in the House and Senate on AI. I’m the leader. It’s my legislation. It’s my legislation that just was used to win a $17 billion settlement against Meta and Mark Zuckerberg today. It’s my legislation. So I am the leader,” he said in an interview that Moulton’s campaign amplified.
In the same CNN interview, Markey claimed that it is Moulton who does not have a firm understanding of technology.
“Just last week, Seth Moulton said there was no AI in 2020. It’s like he doesn’t even understand the technology. Of course there was AI. That’s what I’ve been looking ahead and leading the way on. He has no record, no legislation. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Markey said.