Just months after Democrats lost the White House, failed to keep Republicans from controlling both houses of Congress and gave up three seats in the California Legislature during the 2024 general election, Democratic officials have been busy hitting the airwaves.
After all, appearing on podcasts appeared to help President Donald Trump, who joined numerous shows while campaigning last year. Some credit Trump’s appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” for helping turn out younger male voters to the polls.
But even before Trump, Republicans, including former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, had embraced podcasts as a way to communicate and connect with voters, noted Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Covina, who recently began co-hosting the “Who Dem?” podcast funded by his leadership PAC.
“This is a media platform that they (Republicans) have embraced a lot sooner than we did,” said Cisneros.
“We are a little late to the game. And right now, we are trying to play catch-up,” he added. “But it is something that I do feel that we as Democrats have embraced.”
Since March, at least four podcasts have launched with California Democrats as either the host or featured guest.
That includes Cisneros, who said his goal is to use his podcast not only to communicate his messages, but to highlight other Democratic candidates and the party’s agenda.
Similarly, the California Democratic Party recently launched its own podcast, hosted by party Chair Rusty Hicks. The first episode included interviews with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during the recent California Democratic Party Convention in Anaheim, where both Booker and Walz were featured speakers.
Called “Keeping It Real With Rusty,” the title of the podcast reflects a desire, Hicks said, to get “the real story.”
While he did not rule out having certain Republican guests on, Hicks made clear his focus is to uplift “the voices of Democrats here in California.” In contrast, Gov. Gavin Newsom has featured some controversial and far-right figures on his fledgling podcast.
“A podcast is another tool available to us to organize, to share a message, to connect with communities who are getting their information in new and different ways,” said Hicks.
“It’s a new-ish, newer tool that I think Democrats can and should use more,” he said.
That political leaders are flocking to podcasts shouldn’t be surprising, given the shift in how people consume information these days.
A survey by Edison Research this year found that the percentage of people in the U.S. who have listened to or watched a podcast is at an all-time high. Survey results showed that 73% of Americans 12 and older have consumed a podcast in audio or video format, and 55% are now monthly consumers.
Assemblymember Josh Hoover, a Republican from Sacramento County, said a lot of effort goes into preparing each episode of “Point of Order,” the show he launched in May 2023 to provide an insider’s look into what’s happening in the state Capitol. Despite the extra work, he says it’s worth it.
“What do I get out of it? I have always viewed it as a really authentic way to engage and communicate with my constituents and engage with the Capitol community as a whole,” he said. “It’s really to provide information that people might not be able to get from other sources.”
“People have really gravitated toward podcasting … because they feel they can get different viewpoints,” he said, adding that there is mistrust of mainstream media.
And, he said, podcasts are popular because “people can go and listen to real conversations.”
“Real conversations” is also what the governor said he’s after when he launched “This is Gavin Newsom” in early March. Newsom managed to turn heads when he chose right-wing conservative Charlie Kirk as his first guest.
Many have speculated whether the Democratic governor from a solidly blue state is attempting to brand himself as a more centrist figure — by sharing the microphone with more conservative guests on his podcast — as he weighs a run for president in 2028.
Newsom, for his part, has said his goal is to have people from across the political spectrum on his show, including some with whom he fundamentally disagrees, in order to have “real conversations” about hot-button issues.
While speaking to reporters in February, ahead of the release of his first episode, Newsom also acknowledged that the way information gets disseminated has changed.
“Your business,” he said, referring to the traditional news industry, “is changing radically and, you know, generationally.”
It would be “dumb,” he suggested, “if we continue down the old status quo and try to pave over the old cow path. We’ve got to do things differently.”
Dan Schnur, who teaches political messaging at USC and UC Berkeley, said he’s not surprised to see politicians make a beeline toward podcasts. Younger voters, especially, he said, are interested in longer-form conversations, and podcasts are conducive to that format.
Younger voters also are interested in conversations that aren’t only about politics, he said, noting that during Newsom’s first podcast, “they talked football and sports as much as they talked politics.”
“When Trump went on Joe Rogan, they talked about a whole range of topics. Politics was only one of them,” Schnur added.
Having politicians discuss pop culture also gives the public a chance to see “a more human side” to them, Schnur said.
And some have made major announcements on podcasts.
Former Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman, of Orange County, in April announced his candidacy for state superintendent of public instruction while on the “Gower Hour,” a podcast hosted by then-high school student Bode Gower. (Newman, for his part, co-hosts “The Sacralegis Podcast” with former state Sen. Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, a weekly show that covers Golden State politics and other light-hearted topics.)
Gower, who recently turned 18 and will be studying public policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., this fall, estimates that he’s had about 15 politicians, including local ones, on his show.
He also believes politicians are turning to podcasts in part to reach a younger generation of voters.
“Younger people that are tuning in and listening to podcasts because it’s easier for them to learn things about the issues in ways that are more helpful for them. You’re seeing more young people learn about the issues and then get involved,” said Gower.
“Looking forward, I think we will see more politicians take after Newsom and Trump … and meet with influencers,” he added.
Cisneros, the House member from L.A. County, put it plainly: With more people than ever turning to podcasts for information and news, it’s important for elected officials to meet them where they are.
“If you want to be able to talk to them (constituents) and communicate with them, this is the platform that you have to now go to in order to do that,” he said. “You have to adapt to using this platform.”