Political analyst Taegan Goddard says that Democrats lost the election because the party didn’t keep up with voters who got their news from new media platforms. Meanwhile, Harris performed best among those who got their news from CNN and mainstream broadcast news.
Goddard founded Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. I have a paid subscription to his newsletter and regularly listen to his Trial Balloon podcast. Here is more of his analysis:
Donald Trump made an unconventional yet calculated gamble in the final month of his campaign: he completely bypassed traditional media.
Trump gave no legacy media interviews, made no cable network appearances, did no Sunday show roundtables, and had no sit-downs with local TV anchors in battleground markets.
He refused to do a second debate with Kamala Harris. He backed out of high-profile interviews with 60 Minutes, CNBC, and NBC News. He also turned down a prime-time CNN town hall for the campaign’s crucial closing weeks.
Instead, Trump focused exclusively on newer media platforms, sitting down with Joe Rogan and other podcasters who dominate alternative media.
A new Navigator Research survey shows why it was a smart move. Swing voters were much more likely to rely on alternative sources of media, like podcasts or social media, for news about the 2024 election.
So, while Harris performed best among those getting their news from CNN and broadcast news, Trump won his biggest margins among those who preferred to listen to podcasts, watch YouTube and use social media.
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