Midterms 2026Answers · Campaigns
Do podcasts and online shows matter in elections now?
Yes, more than they used to. Podcasts and online shows reach people who skip TV news and rarely see traditional ads, and candidates now treat them as a real campaign stop. What's harder to know is how much they change votes, since that's difficult to measure.
Why campaigns want to be on them
Four reasons come up most:
- Reach. Many people, especially younger ones, get news from podcasts and streaming shows, not broadcast TV
- Time. A long interview lets a candidate talk for an hour, not a 30-second clip
- Trust. Listeners often feel they know a host, and that trust can transfer to a guest
- Clips. A good moment can spread on social media far beyond the original audience
Long conversations also let a candidate seem more human than a prepared speech does.
The limits
Audiences are fragmented. A show with millions of listeners may attract mostly people who already agree with the host, which limits persuasion. And a long, unscripted conversation is a risk, because one careless answer can be clipped and shared widely.
It's also hard to prove an effect. When a candidate does a big show, you can count downloads and views, but linking that to votes is much harder. I think most campaigns treat it as a mix of reach, enthusiasm and image-building, not a precise tool.
How campaigns choose
They tend to look at who actually listens, not just how big the audience is. A smaller show with the right voters can be worth more than a huge one with the wrong ones. They also consider the host's style, since a hostile interviewer is a very different risk from a friendly one.
What I'd do
I'd pick a few shows whose audiences overlap with voters I'm trying to reach, prepare as for any serious interview and be ready for the clip version of every answer.
Podcasters show up in Midterms 2026 too, the free iPhone election game I built. They're one of the groups that bring you offers on decision cards, alongside oil companies and interest groups. You can take the money or keep your hands clean, and it changes your money, power and votes. Everyone in the game is fictional.