(Politico) Ben Shapiro, one of the most listened-to and controversial podcasters in America, is trying a new role: Republican fundraiser.
During the final months of the election cycle, Shapiro plans to hold fundraisers for Republican Senate candidates in a handful of races that could determine which party controls the chamber. That’s after Shapiro, once a sharp critic of Donald Trump, co-hosted an event for the former president in late March. Those close to Shapiro say it’s possible he’ll hold another fundraiser for the ex-president ahead of the election.
The move represents a shift for the 40-year-old Shapiro in his evolution as a conservative media personality, as Republican candidates seek to parlay his influence into cash. And it shows how an ascendent generation of conservative podcasters have emerged as behind-the-scenes players in Republican politics, especially among young people who don’t view previous GOP media figures like Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity with as much deference as their parents or grandparents.
Shapiro is slated to fundraise for Senate hopefuls Bernie Moreno of Ohio, Eric Hovde of Wisconsin, Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, Tim Sheehy of Montana, and Sam Brown of Nevada. He will also be raising money for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a longtime friend who has a podcast of his own, “Verdict with Ted Cruz.”
Shapiro’s style has drawn the ire of liberals, who have derided Shapiro as toxic. In July, Daily Show host Jon Stewart criticized Shapiro for saying Harris owed her rise to her past romance with ex-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. “Could you try to be more subtle?” Stewart said. Jon Favreau, who was a speechwriter for former President Barack Obama, lambasted Shapiro after the podcaster attacked Doug Emhoff, Harris’s husband, for having an affair in a previous marriage. “What a sunny, warm, open disposition,” Favreau said of Shapiro.
And tapping Shapiro is not without risk for Republicans seeking to win over moderates in November, given his controversial remarks on race and ethnicity. He came under fire a decade ago when he claimed that half the world’s Muslims are radical and when he posted on social media that Trayvon Martin, the Black teen killed by a member of a neighborhood watch, would still be alive “if he hadn’t taken a man’s head and beaten it on the pavement before being shot.”
Yet that provocative approach has, if anything, intensified Shapiro’s loyal fan base. And, as his popularity has risen, so too has his influence among Republican leaders.
Cruz in an interview called Shapiro “the most consequential conservative podcaster in America,” adding that “people who would never turn on Fox News listen to Ben Shapiro regularly.”
Through a representative, Shapiro declined to comment.
Shapiro isn’t the only conservative podcaster playing a key behind-the-scenes role in this year’s election.
Tech investor David Sacks, the co-host of the popular “All-In” podcast, also worked to persuade Trump to pick Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate. Sacks was a speaker at the Republican National Convention. Charlie Kirk, a prominent Trump ally and podcaster, is helping to turn out voters through Turning Point USA, a conservative organization he founded. Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, also has a popular podcast, “Triggered.” So, too, does former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who also spoke at the Republican National Convention and is a Trump surrogate.
Shapiro is a behemoth in the podcasting world. He had the sixth-most popular show in the country last month, according to Podtrac, a site that analyzes podcast ratings. The Harvard Law-educated Shapiro has also developed a massive social media following, with 9.4 million followers on Facebook, 7 million on YouTube and 6.9 million on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. He is also a frequently requested speaker on college campuses.
