How A New Generation Of Left-Wing US Media Is Helping Progressive Democrats Build National Influence

A growing ecosystem of left-wing podcasts, YouTube channels, newsletters and livestreams is helping progressive Democrats build national profiles, raise campaign funds and win primary elections in the United States. Instead of relying solely on traditional news outlets or support from the Democratic establishment, many candidates are using these platforms to reach voters directly and mobilise supporters.

The trend has come into sharper focus following recent primary victories by candidates such as Pennsylvania state Representative Chris Rabb and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. As audiences increasingly turn to independent digital creators for political news, progressive media is playing a bigger role in Democratic primary campaigns, fundraising and grassroots organising. According to Reuters, these platforms are giving candidates greater control over their message while allowing them to rely less on traditional power centres such as party leaders, major donors and mainstream political media.

Unlike traditional news organisations, many of these outlets openly combine opinion journalism with political activism. Their programmes often feature longer interviews, candidate endorsements, fundraising events and discussions on policies such as universal healthcare, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and ending US military aid to Israel.

How progressive candidates are bypassing traditional gatekeepers

For Pennsylvania state Representative Chris Rabb, a Democratic socialist from the party's left wing, appearances on programmes such as The Majority Report with Sam Seder and Breaking Points became an important part of his successful congressional primary campaign against a more moderate Democrat.

"It ‌helps me increase my visibility, validation and ability to raise money,” said Rabb, describing it as “a Venn diagram of success.”

Rabb's experience reflects a broader campaign strategy. Rather than depending primarily on television advertising or mainstream political coverage, progressive candidates are using independent media to explain policy positions at length, reach politically engaged audiences, encourage grassroots organising and generate short clips that can be widely shared across social media.

The same approach was evident in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Haley Stevens, the Democratic establishment's preferred candidate, in the Democratic Senate primary. According to Reuters, El-Sayed was heavily outspent on television advertising, much of it financed by pro-Israel and other outside groups, yet still secured victory.

“There is an audience and a demand and a hunger for different viewpoints,” said Mehdi Hasan, the former MSNBC host who launched the independent news organisation Zeteo in 2024.

“The same energy that enabled us to be a success as a media entity has enabled a lot of political candidates to be successes.”

A growing audience beyond traditional media

The American left has long had its own publications and political programmes, but independent digital media has expanded as audiences increasingly seek news outside traditional outlets.

Although it remains much smaller and less well-funded than the conservative media ecosystem, its influence within Democratic politics has grown steadily.

Audience figures reflect that growth. According to Reuters, Zeteo has around 700,000 Substack subscribers, a 50 per cent increase over the past year. The Majority Report with Sam Seder has more than two million YouTube subscribers, around three-quarters of whom are under the age of 55. Progressive commentator Hasan Piker has built a following of more than three million on Twitch.

For campaign strategists, these platforms offer a way to reach committed Democratic voters through longer conversations than those typically seen on television. Candidates also tend to appear across the same network of podcasts and online programmes, allowing audiences to discover them through creators they already follow. The approach helps candidates reach audiences that already trust these creators and are more likely to share their content with others.

"I think we help create early enthusiasm," said Sam Seder. "Our audience in particular has a lot of activists and a lot of people who run activist organisations, and I know we have a lot of legislative staffer types.”

Democratic operative Jesse Lehrich, co-host of the political podcast Nobody Knows Anything, said candidates often move through the same network of creators. Hasan argued that politicians and independent media have grown alongside one another rather than one driving the other's success.

“It's interconnected,” said Hasan. “I don't think one is necessarily leading the other.”

Growing influence also brings political risks

Most of the personalities at the centre of this media ecosystem openly support progressive candidates, blurring the line between political commentary and activism.

Breaking Points co-host Krystal Ball took part in a livestream fundraiser for El-Sayed and other progressive candidates in Michigan. Hasan Piker canvassed for Wisconsin gubernatorial hopeful Francesca Hong and attended El-Sayed's election-night event in Detroit.

"The work is only beginning," Piker posted on X after the Michigan primary.

Piker has also faced criticism over previous remarks. Reuters noted that he has voiced support for Hamas, referred to white people using the word "cracker", and previously said that "America deserved 9/11", a comment he later described as "inappropriate". He did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Supporters argue these programmes are designed less to persuade undecided voters than to energise existing supporters, who can then influence others in their communities.

"We may be preaching to the choir, but the choir is then going out and preaching to the independents," said Seder.

Hans Noel, a professor of government at Georgetown University, said these creators and outlets "energize voters ⁠who find the party’s platform too lukewarm or uninspiring."

"At the same time," he added, "factional voices are not always interested in compromise," which could make it harder for progressive nominees to broaden their appeal in general elections.

The trend extends beyond explicitly political media. Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan launched the I've Had It podcast in 2022 to discuss everyday frustrations before shifting towards politics during the 2024 presidential campaign. The programme later featured an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and coverage from the Democratic National Convention.

The podcast now has more than 5.2 million followers across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Listeners “are coming to us to get news and to get our opinion on the news,” Welch told Reuters.

El-Sayed appeared on the programme twice, and Welch endorsed him on air.

“I think that the Democratic ​base is so much further than what the establishment realizes," she said, "and I think candidates like Abdul are the future of the Democratic Party if we are to be an opposition party."

The rise of left-wing digital media has given progressive Democrats an alternative route to building political influence, allowing them to bypass many of the party's traditional gatekeepers while strengthening ties with activists and party supporters. At the same time, analysts say the same ecosystem that energises progressive voters could deepen ideological divisions within the Democratic Party as candidates seek broader support beyond the primary electorate.