Ted Cruz Is the New Podcast King of DC

Ted Cruz has quietly carved out a surprising niche as the most popular podcaster among US politicians, per a new report from Politico, which notes the Texas senator may be forging "a new path to the White House in today's changing political-media ecosystem." Cruz's show, Verdict With Ted Cruz, draws up to 2 million downloads a month, far outpacing rivals like Gavin Newsom, the second most popular podcaster coming out of lawmaker circles.

Cruz's podcasting journey began as a side project during President Trump's first impeachment in 2019 and has since become a staple of his political brand. The format is simple: Cruz and his co-host, conservative commentator Ben Ferguson, sift through topics chosen by Cruz's staff and record episodes that land in subscribers' feeds the next morning. The podcast's appeal, according to Cruz, is its informality and willingness to dive into the wonky details of law and politics—territory rarely explored on cable news.

The rise of Cruz's podcast comes as the traditional media landscape continues to fragment, with voters increasingly turning to influencers and online personalities for their political takes. As a Cruz aide puts it, the show was created to give listeners "a behind-the-scenes look at what's really happening in Washington," and to cover issues "the mainstream media won't cover or will cover with bias." Cruz's podcast may offer a template for other politicians looking to build their own followings outside the bounds of legacy media.

Cruz has gone after other podcasters, including ex-Fox host and fellow conservative Tucker Carlson, which Axios believes is possibly his way of starting to ramp up for a 2028 presidential run, "staking out turf as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican." Cruz's new status as a broadcaster of sorts has also led to some scathing criticism from him toward FCC chief Brendan Carr, specifically regarding Carr's threats to pull ABC's license after Jimmy Kimmel's comments on late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, per CNN.