Seven months after a stinging loss to President Donald Trump, who used podcast appearances and internet virality in his campaign to his advantage, Democrats are still working on a digital strategy to regain political power.
Throughout the campaign, Trump was able to score a number of major podcast interviews on shows such as "The Joe Rogan Experience,” Theo Von's "This Past Weekend,” and Logan Paul's "ImPAULsive.”
“Speaking With American Men” (SAM) is the name of a new plan formulated by Ilyse Hogue, an abortion activist who thinks Democrats can regain lost ground with young men by pursuing a similar strategy.
Former Texas Democrat Senate candidate Colin Allred is also spearheading the effort, which has a whopping $20 million budget for the 2025-2026 election cycle.
The SAM “strategic plan” aims to “[d]evelop, disseminate, and test high-quality, meme-friendly content that young men are likely to share organically, leveraging humor, storytelling, and aspirational messaging, rather than overly didactic or partisan framing.”
Tech For Campaigns, a nonprofit research firm that supports Democrat campaigns, similarly views Democrats' supposed weakness in the digital world as a bane for them.
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“Republicans dominate the podcast ecosystem,” reads a graphic published by Tech For Campaigns. “The top three podcasters regularly feature other top-20 hosts, creating a self-reinforcing network.”
The graphic shows an interconnected web of podcasters, including Theo Von, a mostly nonpolitical comedian.
Of course, it’s not as if Democrats didn’t try to compete with Republicans in this space in 2024.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on shows such as “Call Her Daddy” and “The Breakfast Club”—the latter being a radio show with a big online presence—to appeal to an online audience.
Tech For Campaigns warns that simply pumping more money into online outreach won’t work.
“Simply increasing funding to replicate Republican tactics from the last cycle won't be sufficient—nor will continuing to rely primarily on the same networks of talent,” reads its report.
“Successful right-wing influencers emerged largely organically, outside party structures, not through top-down creation.”
Comedian Bill Maher echoed that point in a recent "Real Time" segment on HBO.
“One idea that’s getting a lot of attention is, the Dems need to find their Joe Rogan on the Left, a liberal Joe Rogan. Because that’s why Kamala lost—Republicans have a podcast!” Maher said sarcastically.
“Or you could consider this: Instead of conjuring up a new Joe Rogan, ask yourself why you lost the old one,” Maher said of Rogan, a marijuana-legalization advocate who endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for president in 2020.
Comedian Tim Dillon, in a recently released CNN interview, also ridiculed the notion that podcasters and comedians had killed the Democrats‘ campaign.
“It’s the craziest narrative ever, and it came off the heels of running one of the most unpopular candidates with a platform that the American people largely rejected,” he said.
“And then everybody got together and said it’s actually these five guys who have podcasts. They’re the most powerful people in the world … and they're the reason for this electoral defeat, not our unpopular candidate and our candidate who ran on a platform of ‘joy.’”
The battle for online connection is not likely to end any time soon.
Vice President JD Vance made his second appearance on Theo Von's podcast recently, where he discussed Elon Musk and the "big, beautiful" budget bill under consideration in Congress in a medium that is accessible to average viewers.
Democrats have also stepped up their online presence during the second Trump administration, with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., being seen as a leader in this effort.
Democrats are "engaging in the tools and strategies necessary to elevate their voice in a new, changing media market, where legacy media is not the place that people get their news now," Booker said in March.
Some Democrats’ attempts to gain viral fame have backfired, however, as a "choose your fighter" skit featuring Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York and Jasmine Crockett of Texas was met with general mockery online.
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