Several widely floated 2028 contenders are making their foray into the podcasting world, part of a broader trend of politicians using the platform to expand their reach.<\/p>\n
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is the latest rising political star to launch his own podcast, joining other high-profile names like California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).<\/p>\n
Their entrance into audio programing has raised speculation over their future ambitions and underscores the way political figures are turning to alternative forms of media to get their message out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really kind of goes back to how we were able to communicate during COVID,\u201d Beshear told The Hill in an interview, regarding the impetus of his podcast. \u201cCOVID was a scary time. People were nervous about their future and the future of not just our country, but the world. And it was at that time that I started doing daily updates on what we knew, taking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beshear noted that during President Trump\u2019s second term, people started approaching him again about his daily updates, \u201clooking for a way to take the concern and the stress and to be able to talk about it in a way where you feel like you address it, but at the same time, it takes a little bit of that stress off your shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beshear and Newsom have become two of the biggest political stars to join in on the trend of making their podcasts. Newsom\u2019s podcast says its aim is to \u201chave honest discussions with people that agree AND disagree with us,\u201d being able to debate in a way that doesn\u2019t denigrate others.<\/p>\n
Beshear \u2014 whose own podcast diet includes political and nonpolitical ones, such as sports commentator Rich Eisen \u2014 is looking to have conservations about a variety of topics, including politics, and says it\u2019ll be a space where \u201creal conversations bridge divides and foster understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s the idea that when people wake up in the morning, they’re not thinking about politics, they\u2019re thinking about their job, and whether they’re making enough to support their family. They\u2019re thinking about their next doctor’s appointment for themselves, their parents or their kids,\u201d Beshear said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking about the roads and bridges they drive each day, [the] public school they drop their kids off at, and the public safety in their community,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd so I think what you’ll hear on the podcast is both a focus on those areas, because I think that’s \u2014 explains so much about how people are voting right now, but also how we can find common ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two Democrats aren\u2019t the only ones turning to podcasts as a way to connect with listeners and grow their audience. Cruz\u2019s podcast started back in 2020 during Trump\u2019s first impeachment, where he used his first episodes to analyze and comment about Trump\u2019s impeachment trial. His program was at one point one of the top-performing podcasts.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch of the corporate media does not provide in-depth coverage of what is going on,\u201d Cruz told The Hill in an interview in 2023<\/a>. \u201cThe reason why people faithfully listen three times a week is because when they\u2019re done they\u2019ve learned something \u2026 far better than what they\u2019re able to get from the vast majority of media sources.\u201d <\/p>\n His podcast still has an impressive reach. A Cruz strategist told The Hill this week that the senator\u2019s podcast had 2.6 million downloads in March alone.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thought process behind it was always like, \u2018Hey, what’s\u00a0a\u00a0way we can talk directly to voters and, you know, show voters the side of Ted Cruz they may not normally get\u201d from a speech or hit on Fox News?'” the Cruz strategist said.<\/p>\n The strategist also noted that GOP members in both the House and Senate have reached out to Cruz about potentially starting their own podcasts, only to quickly find out it\u2019s a time-consuming endeavor. That hasn\u2019t stopped some from taking the leap, though.<\/p>\n For a period, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) had his own podcast with his wife and Supreme Court attorney, Erin Hawley. A handful of members between the two parties in the House also have their own podcasts, too.<\/p>\n Plenty of others have been guests on a podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cI think basically, this is just another example of politicians finding that we have a way to communicate, oh, and by the way, it’s free,\u201d said Jonathan Nagler, co-director of the New York University’s Center for Social Media and Politics.<\/p>\n Experts say podcasts are a way to create intimate relationships with listeners and can pull back the curtain on the politicians hosting them. Podcasts are also a calculated method of introducing lawmakers to everyday listeners.<\/p>\n Nagler noted that it allows them to \u201ctotally control the medium\u201d and \u201cthey don’t need to invite people on their podcast who are going to grill them with difficult questions they don’t want to answer.\u201d<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean the podcasts never attract criticism.<\/p>\n Newsom has drawn pushback for having conservatives Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his show \u2014 prompting criticism from members of his party for giving them a platform on his show. Newsom has also received heat for his comments in his episode with Kirk, when he said that transgender women playing in sports that align with their gender identity is \u201cdeeply unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n