Liberal media's MAGA-like splintering challenges 2028 contenders
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Liberal media, long dominated by a few big national players such as New York Times columnists, is splintering into countless micro-factions, much like the early MAGA movement.
Why it matters: Gone are the days of simply sucking up to the Times or Rachel Maddow. Now, potential 2028 contenders for president need to navigate a multi-layered media ecosystem controlled by big players and solo operators with big audiences.
- An explosion of new voices has diluted the power of legacy pundits and MS NOW stars.
We're here to guide you through the liberal version of MAGA's surge-and-splinter:
- The progressive media bubble has its star shows, such as "Pod Save America," "The Daily Show," "The Breakfast Club" and "The Ezra Klein Show."
- Beyond them, however, is a fast-growing progressive sphere that potential White House candidates are trying to navigate.
State of play: This is how many 2028ers see the landscape of progressive media, according to conversations with several aides to possible contenders.
1. The Partisans
Shows such as "MeidasTouch" and "No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen" are seen as safe spaces for Democratic candidates to get their messages out to millions of Democratic-leaning viewers with little adversarial pushback.
- "There's kind of this whole Rolodex of influencers who are even friendlier than MS Now," said Jesse Lehrich, a Democratic strategist who tracks likely presidential candidates' media appearances.
2. The Resistance
These shows and influencers are the most strident anti-Trump voices in the party. They'll take fellow Democrats to task if they sense them becoming squishy on opposing the Trump administration.
- It includes the "I've Had It" podcast hosted by Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan. Heather Cox Richardson's Substack is also in this group. They've become go-to places for Democrats to prove their resistance bona fides during Trump 2.0.
- The interviews aren't always friendly. Some potential 2028 candidates — former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel comes to mind — have been blasted on "I've Had It" when breaking from orthodoxy.
3. The Elites
Traditional outlets such as MS NOW, the New York Times opinion pages, and magazines including The Atlantic and The New Yorker remain go-to's in swaying elite discourse — donors, powerbrokers and other thought leaders.
4. The Center Left
For Democrats looking to distance themselves from left-wing parts of their party, there are Substackers such as Matt Yglesias and organizations built by former Republicans including The Bulwark, which has popular shows with people such as Tim Miller, a former communications director for Jeb Bush and vocal Trump critic.
5. The Left Wing
This bubble has shifted dramatically since 2020, when many Bernie Sanders-friendly voices — sometimes referred to as "the dirtbag left" — dominated.
- The space in 2026 is largely occupied by outlets and personalities with a pro-Palestine, anti-Israel focus such as Medhi Hasan's Zeteo, Ryan Grim's Drop Site newsletter and Hasan Piker, a streamer with 1.5 million followers on Instagram.
- Some former pro-Sanders voices have drifted right, while others such as "The Adam Friedland Show" have pitched potential 2028 Democrats to appear as a way to reach young men, our sources told us.
Zoom in: Strategists and some candidates say the booming number of Democrat-friendly outlets has made it imperative for a candidate — or possible candidate — to be able to go everywhere.
- New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a possible 2028 contender, told Axios: "I'm going to continue to go on not just political podcasts, but everything from health and wellness podcasts all the way to sports podcasts. I'm going to continue to do as many as I possibly can."
- Even so, many possible candidates have stayed away from the left-wing sphere. Several center-left voices have become particularly cozy with candidates such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Between the lines: Strategists argue that this growing partisan media system doesn't make up for the inroads Republicans have made with influencers that include Joe Rogan and Theo Von.
- Rogan, Von, and others don't host political shows: They have shows that occasionally get political, which allows Republicans to reach new voters.
There are some emerging venues that could play a similar role for the left, strategists argue.
- These include: Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith's show, the "Smartless" podcast with its three Hollywood star hosts, and business influencer Scott Galloway's "The Prof G Pod."
- Bill Simmons' sports and pop-culture podcast network "The Ringer" recently hosted potential presidential candidates on some of its shows, including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Zoom out: Some potential candidates have tried to create their own platforms with varying success.
- Last year Newsom launched "This is Gavin Newsom," a podcast that often features him amicably discussing issues with prominent right-wing figures such as Steve Bannon.
- The show is often one of the top ranked liberal podcasts on Apple and has more than 240,000 subscribers on YouTube with 137 videos.
By contrast, a podcast featuring Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, another possible 2028 contender, has 6,000 subscribers with 201 videos.
