Rephonic
Artwork for Political Breakdown

Political Breakdown

KQED
California
Donald Trump
Trump Administration
Gavin Newsom
Democratic Party
San Francisco
Republican Party
Immigration
Proposition 50
Los Angeles
Redistricting
California Governor's Race
Medi-Cal
Governor Gavin Newsom
Homelessness
Housing
Kamala Harris
Public Safety
California Environmental Quality Act
Housing Crisis

Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of politics—including elected officials, candidates, pollsters, campaign managers, fundraisers, and other political players—Political Breakdown pulls back the curtain to offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics wor... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes795Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Political Breakdown

Latest Episodes

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order requiring state workers to return to office four days a week took effect this month. The governor says it’s about battling a “crisis of loneliness” and wanting people to “develop relationships, friendships, fall in... more

The party in power in Washington, D.C. typically heads into a midterm election at a disadvantage. Democrats are favored to retake the House this fall, but the Democratic party brand is still deeply unpopular with voters. Plus, a national redistrictin... more

Political Breakdown continues an ongoing series on election integrity in America.

Shasta County has been ground zero in California’s fight over election security. Election officials took control of the deep red county’s Board of Supervisors and elec... more

President Donald Trump used a primetime speech Thursday night to cast doubt on the integrity of America’s election system. He claimed that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in California and other Democratic-led states. He a... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Molly Taft
Senior Reporter at Wired
Wired
Episode: The Politics of Data Centers
Ese Olumhense
Investigative reporter and adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Reveal (investigative team)
Episode: The Modern Election Integrity Era
Hannah Wiley
Senior politics reporter for the San Francisco Standard
San Francisco Standard
Episode: Sexual Assault Allegations Reshape Political Races from Maine to San Francisco
Julie Rovner
Chief Washington Correspondent for KFF Health News
KFF Health News
Episode: The State of Scientific Research and Medi-Cal
Carol Anderson
Professor of African American Studies at Emory University
Emory University
Episode: America’s Long History of Voter Suppression
Rebecca Nagle
Journalist and Cherokee Nation member, host of First America
First America podcast
Episode: The Overlooked History of Native Tribes in America’s Founding
Jeremy B. White
Senior politics reporter
Politico
Episode: The Fights That Shaped California’s November Ballot
Tariq Panja
New York Times Global Sports Correspondent
The New York Times
Episode: The Politics of the World Cup
Mike Bonin
Former Los Angeles City Council member; leads the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at California State University in Los Angeles
Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA
Episode: LA Mayor’s Race May Become a “Slugfest” Between Former Allies

Hosts

Marisa Lagos
Host of Political Breakdown; KQED/KQED News; guides discussion and segment introductions
Scott Shafer
Host of Political Breakdown; politics correspondent; leads interviews and discussions

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 238 ratings
  • The best!

    This is one of my favorite podcasts! I moved to the bay a few years ago and this podcast was and is so informative - and the production value is incredible!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cambo213!
    United States2 months ago
  • Keeps me informed

    Always interesting. So great to hear in-depth, upbeat, fun, balanced stories about things that are at the forefront for our great state! Very appreciative.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MessyEm
    United States3 months ago
  • Softball interview

    I don’t understand how you can have Eric Swalwell on and not ask him about the sexual harassment allegations. If the interview was taped after they came out, you at least could’ve addressed it after or before the interview. Very strange oversight.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Max2948
    United States4 months ago
  • Never fact check guests

    I thought I’d give this another try, but once again, a guest dropped blatant misinformation and the hosts did not fact check.

    CA does NOT have “the highest illiteracy rate in the nation”.

    In addition, snark as a default mode is not useful, M Lagos.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Civil D.
    United States7 months ago
  • Frustrating

    I really want to like this show, but it’s so surface level. I rarely learn anything new. The discussion of Katie Porter’s bad interview was a case in point …truly did not learn anything I couldn’t have gotten from a quick skim of a CNN article or something. Why have guests on to discuss something (like the Sac Bee reporter on this episode) if they don’t have any new insight or new analysis or new context? Please go deeper. Have better guests and don’t just rehash the headlines. California politi... more

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    NY1235at
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audience mentions strong coverage of California-specific issues and thoughtful guest selection.
Listeners praise informed, balanced conversations and high production quality.
Critiques note uneven interview depth and occasional lack of aggressive fact-checking, especially on controversial guests.
Overall, the show is seen as a valuable state-politics resource with strong host dynamics.
Fans appreciate deep dives into California politics and insider perspectives.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#190
United States/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Sexual Assault Allegations Reshape Political Races from Maine to San Francisco
Q: What role does Cheyenne Hunt play in this landscape?
She is a prominent activist leveraging social media to amplify allegations and connect affected individuals with resources, while arguing for structural changes in campaign finance and ethics rules to deter misconduct.
Sexual Assault Allegations Reshape Political Races from Maine to San Francisco
Q: How are Manny Yekutiel's supporters and opponents reacting in San Francisco politics?
Endorsements are fluctuating; some officials have withdrawn or paused their support while others stay the course, reflecting a divided City Hall and a broader conversation about accountability.
Sexual Assault Allegations Reshape Political Races from Maine to San Francisco
Q: What happened to Manny Yekutiel and why is it resonating now?
Allegations date back to 2020 but resurfaced with public reporting, drawing scrutiny to his conduct, the potential power dynamics at play, and the implications for endorsements and the upcoming supervisor race.
The Politics of Data Centers
Q: Can you explain what a data center is and why they exist?
Data centers are large buildings that house servers and computing equipment for handling internet services and AI workloads; they've grown rapidly with the AI revolution because AI models require enormous computing power and energy, leading to a new scale and footprint for these facilities.
California’s Slow Vote Count: Feature or Bug?
Q: Why is California's count slow compared with some other states?
The guest explains that California's large, diverse electorate and the emphasis on counting every ballot—through vote-by-mail processing, signature cures, post-election canvassing, audits, and potential recounts—takes time, but it improves accuracy and voter confidence.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Political Breakdown

What is Political Breakdown about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show provides in-depth, California-focused political analysis, featuring extended interviews with reporters, analysts, campaign professionals, and policy experts. Episodes frequently center on state and local governance, electoral dynamics, policy debates (housing, taxation, homelessness, climate, and elections), and regulatory issues, often pairing long-form conversations with live events, roundtables, and reporter insights. A recurring strength is its ability to translate complex policy and political strategy into accessible context, with a track record of balanced questioning and a willingness to tackle timely, sometimes contentious topics. Noteworthy is the sustained emphasis on California-specific political dynamics, insider perspe... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Political Breakdown?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Political Breakdown. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Political Breakdown and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Political Breakdown get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Political Breakdown, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Political Breakdown?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Political Breakdown, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Political Breakdown have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Political Breakdown has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Political Breakdown?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Political Breakdown:

1. KQED's The California Report
2. KQED's Forum
3. The Bay
4. Bay Curious
5. The Ezra Klein Show

How many episodes of Political Breakdown are there?

Political Breakdown launched 9 years ago and published 795 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Political Breakdown?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Political Breakdown?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Political Breakdown from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Political Breakdown?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Political Breakdown. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Political Breakdown?

Recent guests on Political Breakdown include:

1. Molly Taft
2. Ese Olumhense
3. Hannah Wiley
4. Julie Rovner
5. Carol Anderson
6. Rebecca Nagle
7. Jeremy B. White
8. Tariq Panja

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days