Cruz’s thrice-weekly podcast, “Verdict,” has become an integral part of his day-to-day life as a senator — and a tool in his effort to win reelection this fall.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, speaks to delegates at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 25, 2024.Midway through his stump speech at a recent campaign rally, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz did something unusual: He asked the audience to take out their cell phones and text an automated number that would respond with a link to download his thrice-weekly podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz .”
The 30- to 45-minute episodes also offer Cruz the time and space, in a casual setting with a friendly co-host, to reveal his personality in a way that is uncommon for high-profile politicians. Though Cruz spends much of the show bashing top Democratic politicians and “the corporate media,” he offers up a healthy dose of asides and anecdotes marked by self-deprecating humor.
Matt Mackowiak, a Texas Republican strategist who has known Cruz for more than a decade, said the podcast helps Cruz combat the “chatter” about his so-called likeability. Still, the podcast remains a popular and potent way for Cruz to promote his brand. The episodes are also available on the popular iHeart app and“This is one of only a few podcasts I regularly listen to,” one reviewer wrote recently on Apple Podcasts. “While I agree with others that the ads are starting to get out of hand, I thoroughly enjoy the Senator’s explanation of procedure, internal politics, and the general sausage making in Washington.
On the show, Cruz has expressed hope that Trump’s legal team could flip the results of the 2020 election and derided the judge overseeing Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial as a “rabid partisan.
He said Cruz is known as an effective communicator, and it’s no surprise that he is using the podcast largely to throw red meat to his core supporters. A spokesperson for an iHeartMedia subsidiary has said the payments to the pro-Cruz super PAC, Truth and Courage PAC, are associated with the revenue it receives from selling ads on Cruz’s podcast, for which Cruz himself is not paid.
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