Date of Project
4-23-2025
Document Type
Honors Thesis
School Name
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Major Advisor
Dr. Aaron Hoffman
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to showcase the interesting, yet inevitable effect that the medium of podcasting had on the 2024 United States Presidential Election Cycle. Throughout the history of the U.S. voters have looked towards the ever growing frontier of technology to shorten the gap between them, and their candidate of choice. From Franklin D. Roosevelt and the radio, to Barack Obama and the internet, the impact these leaps in communication have had on presidential elections are undeniable. Between the two candidacies of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, it was Trump who made full use of the medium of podcasting. Due to his unique approach he was able to tap into voting demographics that had yet to be explored, securing him a solid boost in the polls that the Harris Campaign had not anticipated. In the wake of Trump’s victory, Democrats have taken note of his podcasting strategies and have already made moves to enter the medium in anticipation of the 2028 election cycle. The future of presidential elections will no doubt include more emphasis on podcasting as a mode for candidates to strengthen their base and reach new supporters; a trend that truly began in 2024.
Recommended Citation
Boyd, Logan T., "The Podcast Election: How Podcasts Helped Decide the United States Presidential Election of 2024 in an Unprecedented Way" (2025). Undergraduate Theses. 178.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/ugrad_theses/178
Included in
Political History Commons, Radio Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons