16 new york | march 16–29, 2020
intelligencerRanking:The Best Election Podcastsfor Every Type of Listener
Our critic’s guide to the ever-expanding
world of politics podcasts.
By Nicholas Quah➸ Hosted by^ former^
Obama staffers Jon
Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer,
Jon Lovett, and
Tommy Vietor, Pod
Save America is the highly popular
anchor to the equally popular
Crooked Media, the company that
seeks to build a lasting empire that
may well rival the vast, powerful
galaxy of right-wing talk radio.
Newcomers should check out
the recent check-in with Faiz
Shakir, Bernie Sanders’s campaign
manager.If You Miss the Obama
White House
pod save americaIf You Love Polls
fivethirtyeight’s politics podcastIf You Enjoy Dunking
on the Libs
chapo trap house➸ Do statistical
models excite you?
Do you enjoy arguing
about the use and
misuse of polling? Do
you continue to have faith in the
church of Nate Silver? To describe his
site’s Politics podcast as wonky
would be an understatement. It’s also
responsible for some genuinely
enjoyable, well-composed short
documentaries from time to time,
like its multipart “Primaries
Project” exploring how America’s
primary system came to be.➸ Consider^ Chapo^
Trap House a kind of
fun-house-mirror
image of Pod Save
America. Led by
Amber A’Lee Frost, Felix
Biederman, Matt Christman, Virgil
Texas, and Will Menaker, the pod-
cast is a platform for what has been
called the “Dirtbag Left,” i.e., leftist-
minded audiences disillusioned with
conventional liberal politics. It is
often dark, trending to socialism and
nihilism and exhibiting a willingness
to flirt with conspiracy theories.➸ Lest you get the
impression that
the political-podcast
universe is mostly
left leaning, consider
The Ben Shapiro Show, which
is built around the conservative
enfant terrible and founder
of the Daily Wire. Unquestionably
the biggest conservative
podcast on the charts, the show
has been picked up for radio
syndication by Cumulus Media,
the third-largest radio conglomerate
in the country.If You’re Right-Curious
the ben shapiro showIf You’d Prefer Perspectives
Fr om Journalists of Color
in the thickIf You Want to Know What
It 's Like on the Ground
the field➸ Mainstream
politics coverage can
be particularly
exhausting for people
of color. Against this
mostly white backdrop, In the Thick
offers some reprieve. Hosted by
Latino USA’s Maria Hinojosa
and Julio Ricardo Varela, the
show is a classic roundtable podcast.
Journalists of color discuss the
candidates’ latest wins and losses,
enriched by a deep bench of diverse
guest panelists who consistently
open the political conversation.➸ Listeners looking
for narrative
documentary will find
tremendous value in
The Field, a spinoff of
The Daily and the latest addition to
the New York Times’ ever-expanding
family of podcasts. The Field
brings listeners onto the campaign
trail alongside Times journalists
and audio producers as they gather
information, like Jennifer Medina’s
reporting inside the conflict
between the Culinary Workers
Union and the Sanders campaign.➸ Many groaned last
month when it was
announced that Hillary
Clinton was launching
a podcast. But it wasn’t
her first. A few months before the
2016 elections, With Her debuted
with all the bells and whistles of a
normal narrative podcast. Now, we’re
left with a genuinely fascinating
political artifact—like the hopeful
pre–Election Day episode or the two-
parter from September 2017 where
she talks through her 2016 regrets—
that her new show is unlikely to beat.If You’re Still Stuck in 2016
with herIf You Want to Get Involved
the brown girls guide to politicsIf You’re Rooting for the
De ath of Caucuses
stranglehold➸ Stranglehold
is a fantastic audio
documentary by
New Hampshire
Public Radio that
interrogates why the very small, very
white state gets to enjoy so much
power over the presidential-
nomination process. The show is
sharp, critical, and thrillingly
unflattering. The station’s efforts
haven’t gone unnoticed, drawing
attention and some criticism from
New Hampshire’s powers that be
(including its secretary of state).➸ A relatively
new entry to the genre,
The Brown Girls
Guide to Politics is
the audio companion
to the blog of the same name,
founded by Emerge America
president A’shanti F. Gholar.
With two seasons under its belt and
a third on the way, the podcast
delivers interviews and topical
discussions that serve as a
resource for women of color
interested in building a career in the
world of politics.If You’re Looking for a Classic
political gabfest➸ The OG of the
format, Slate’s
Political Gabfest
started its
conversational
roundtables almost 15 years ago.
The country moved from Bush
to Obama to Trump, but the
fundamentals of Gabfest have
remained largely the same. Each
week still features Emily Bazelon,
John Dickerson, and David Plotz
getting together to discuss,
bicker, and debate the latest in
political news.If You Really Miss the “Old Days”
hacks on tap with david axelrod
and mike murphy➸ Put^ nicely,^ Hacks^
on Tap is a digital
watering hole for the
politically nostalgic.
Former Obama
adviser David Axelrod is a creature
of the Democratic Establishment.
Mike Murphy, meanwhile, is a
Republican consultant of the old
school with a client list that once
included Mitt Romney and John
McCain. Together, they moan over
the contemporary state of politics
and dispense insider takes on how
things used to work.If You’re a Public-Radio Lifer
the npr politics podcast➸ Now publishing
every weekday as
primary season heats
up, each NPR Politics
Podcast episode
serves up gloriously succinct recaps
of what happened that day. It’s the
obvious choice for public-radio
households. Since its launch in 2015,
it has become something of a talent
pipeline for the industry: Sam
Sanders, for example, the host of
NPR podcast-radio-show hybrid It’s
Been a Minute, grew in prominence
during his time hosting NPR Politics.If You’re a “Freethinker”
the joe rogan experience➸ One of the biggest
podcasts around today,
The Joe Rogan
Experience doesn’t fall
solely into the politics
genre, operating mostly with a mix of
Howard Stern–style interviewing and
a so-called freethinking ideology
that’s part of the “intellectual dark
web.” The show has become a
consequential platform for political
discourse. Rogan’s endorsement of
Bernie Sanders this year, for
example, created a minor maelstrom
on Twitter. PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF VENDORSTRANSMITTED________ COPY ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EIC0620INT_Podcasts_lay [Print]_36769579.indd 16 3/12/20 2:58 PM16 newyork| march16–29, 2020
intelligencer
Ranking:The Best Election Podcastsfor Every Type of Listener
Our critic’s guide to the ever-expanding
world of politics podcasts.
By Nicholas Quah➸ Hosted byformer
Obama staffersJon
Favreau, DanPfeiffer,
Jon Lovett,and
Tommy Vietor,Pod
Save America is the highlypopular
anchor to the equally popular
Crooked Media, the companythat
seeks to build a lasting empirethat
may well rival the vast, powerful
galaxy of right-wing talk radio.
Newcomers should checkout
therecentcheck-inwithFaiz
Shakir, Bernie Sanders’s campaign
manager.If You Miss the Obama
White House
pod save americaIf You Love Polls
fivethirtyeight’s politics podcastIf YouEnjoyDunking
onthe Libs
chapotraphouse➸ Do statistical
models excite you?
Do you enjoy arguing
about the use and
misuse of polling? Do
you continue to have faith in the
church of Nate Silver? To describe his
site’s Politics podcast as wonky
would be an understatement. It’s also
responsible for some genuinely
enjoyable, well-composed short
documentaries from timetotime,
likeitsmultipart “Primaries
Project” exploring how America’s
primarysystemcametobe.➸ConsiderChapo
TrapHousea kindof
fun-house-mirror
imageofPodSave
America.Ledby
AmberA’LeeFrost,Felix
Biederman,Matt Christman,Virgil
Texas,andWillMenaker,thepod-
castis a platformforwhat hasbeen
calledthe“DirtbagLeft,”i.e., leftist-
mindedaudiencesdisillusionedwith
conventionalliberal politics.It is
oftendark,trendingtosocialismand
nihilismandexhibitinga willingness
toflirt withconspiracytheories.➸ Lest you get the
impression that
the political-podcast
universe is mostly
left leaning, consider
The Ben Shapiro Show, which
is built around the conservative
enfant terrible and founder
of the Daily Wire. Unquestionably
the biggest conservative
podcast on the charts, the show
has been picked up for radio
syndication by Cumulus Media,
the third-largest radio conglomerate
in the country.If You’re Right-Curious
the ben shapiro showIf You’d Prefer Perspectives
Fr om Journalists of Color
in the thickIf YouWantto Know What
It 's Like on the Ground
the field➸ Mainstream
politics coverage can
be particularly
exhausting for people
of color. Against this
mostly white backdrop, In the Thick
offers some reprieve. Hosted by
Latino USA’s Maria Hinojosa
and Julio Ricardo Varela, the
show is a classic roundtable podcast.
Journalists of color discuss the
candidates’ latest wins andlosses,
enriched by a deep benchofdiverse
guest panelists who consistently
open the political conversation.➸ Listeners looking
for narrative
documentarywill find
tremendous value in
The Field, a spinoff of
The Daily and the latest addition to
the New York Times’ ever-expanding
family of podcasts. The Field
brings listeners onto the campaign
trail alongside Times journalists
and audio producers as they gather
information, like JenniferMedina’s
reporting inside the conflict
between the Culinary Workers
Union and the Sanders campaign.➸ Many groaned last
month when it was
announcedthatHillary
Clinton waslaunching
a podcast. Butit wasn’t
her first. A few months beforethe
2016 elections, With Her debuted
with all the bells and whistlesofa
normal narrative podcast.Now,we’re
left with a genuinely fascinating
political artifact like thehopeful
pre–Election Day episodeorthetwo-
parter from September 2017where
she talks through her 2016regrets
that her new show is unlikelytobeat.If You’re Still Stuck in 2016
with herIf You Want to Get Involved
the brown girls guide to politicsIf You’reRootingfor the
De ath of Caucuses
stranglehold➸ Stranglehold
is a fantastic audio
documentaryby
New Hampshire
Public Radiothat
interrogates why the very small, very
white state gets to enjoy so much
power over the presidential-
nomination process. The show is
sharp, critical, and thrillingly
unflattering. The station’s efforts
haven’t gone unnoticed, drawing
attention and some criticismfrom
New Hampshire’s powersthat be
(including its secretary of state).➸ A relatively
new entry to the genre,
The Brown Girls
Guide to Politics is
the audio companion
to the blog of the same name,
founded by Emerge America
president A’shanti F. Gholar.
With two seasons under its belt and
a third on the way, the podcast
delivers interviews and topical
discussions that serve as a
resource for women of color
interested in building a career in the
world of politics.If You’re Looking for a Classic
political gabfest➸ The OG of the
format, Slate’s
Political Gabfest
started its
conversational
roundtables almost 15 years ago.
The country moved from Bush
to Obama to Trump, but the
fundamentals of Gabfest have
remained largely the same. Each
week still features Emily Bazelon,
John Dickerson, and David Plotz
getting together to discuss,
bicker, and debate the latest in
political news.If YouReallyMissthe “OldDays”
hacksontapwithdavidaxelrod
andmikemurphy
➸Putnicely,Hacks
onTapis a digital
wateringholeforthe
politicallynostalgic.
FormerObama
adviserDavidAxelrodis a creature
oftheDemocraticEstablishment.
Mike Murphy,meanwhile,is a
Republicanconsultantoftheold
schoolwitha clientlistthat once
includedMitt Romney andJohn
McCain.Together,they moanover
thecontemporary stateofpolitics
anddispenseinsidertakesonhow
things used to work.
If You’re a Public-Radio Lifer
the npr politics podcast➸ Now publishing
every weekday as
primary season heats
up, each NPR Politics
Podcast episode
serves up gloriously succinct recaps
of what happened that day. It’s the
obvious choice for public-radio
households. Since its launch in 2015,
it has become something of a talent
pipeline for the industry: Sam
Sanders, for example, thehost of
NPRpodcast-radio-showhybridIt’s
Been a Minute, grew in prominence
during his time hosting NPR Politics.
If You’re a “Freethinker”
the joe rogan experience➸ One of the biggest
podcasts around today,
The Joe Rogan
Experience doesn’t fall
solely into the politics
genre, operating mostly with a mix of
Howard Stern–style interviewing and
a so-called freethinking ideology
that’s part of the “intellectual dark
web.” The show has become a
consequential platform for political
discourse. Rogan’s endorsement of
Bernie Sanders this year,for
example, created a minor maelstrom
on Twitter. PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF VENDORS