Rephonic
Artwork for Political Breakdown

Political Breakdown

KQED
Donald Trump
California Budget Deficit
Disinformation
Gavin Newsom
Misinformation
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
California
Climate Change Initiatives
Public Health
San Francisco
NPR
California Legislature
Gaza
Israel
Vaccine Skepticism
Covid-19
Populism
Politics
California Tax Policy
Legislative Analyst's Office

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

PublishesDailyEpisodes709Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Political Breakdown

Latest Episodes

Last week's fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent renewed scrutiny nationwide and prompted calls for accountability.

In San Francisco, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has said she wouldn'... more

In his final State of the State address, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed to restructure the California Department of Education by shifting power away from the state superintendent and into the hands of the next governor. Marisa and Guy are joined by Polit... more

Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his final State of the State address today, defending his record in office and contrasting California's successes to what he called President Trump's "carnival of chaos."

Marisa and Guy hear how the address and budget pri... more

The U.S. Supreme Court recently dealt a major loss to President Donald Trump when it ordered him to return control of the Illinois National Guard to the state’s governor. The ruling prompted Trump to relinquish control of California’s and Oregon’s Na... 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

John Laird
Democratic Senator from Santa Cruz and Chair of the Senate's Budget Committee
California State Senate
Episode: Newsom Gears Up for his Final Year as Governor
David Tangipa
GOP Assemblyman representing the Central Valley and Eastern Sierras
California State Assembly
Episode: Newsom Gears Up for his Final Year as Governor
Cal Calamia
Non-binary trans masculine runner, author, educator, and activist.
Episode: With Trans Athletes Under Attack, What Does Fairness Look Like?
Jim Rainey
LA Times staff writer who covers the history of redistricting and gerrymandering
Los Angeles Times
Episode: Who Draws the Lines? A History of Gerrymandering
Liz Oyer
Former pardon attorney at the Department of Justice
Episode: How Trump Wields the Presidential Pardon
Brittny Mejia
Los Angeles Times reporter who spent three days working with farmworkers.
Los Angeles Times
Episode: Farmworkers Pursue the American Dream in Fear of ICE Raids
Jill Habig
Founder and CEO of the Public Rights Project, focusing on helping local governments protect civil rights
Public Rights Project
Episode: How Trump Uses Taxpayer Dollars as a Political Weapon
Erin Baldassari
KQED's Senior Editor for Housing Affordability
KQED
Episode: The Future of Housing First in California
Constance Grady
Senior correspondent on the culture team at Vox
Vox
Episode: The Rules of MAGA Femininity

Hosts

Scott Shafer
Host with a focus on political analysis and reporting, offering insights into California's political landscape.
Marisa Lagos
Co-host with extensive experience in political reporting and insight into California's socio-political dynamics.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 219 ratings
  • 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 States3 months ago
  • Extremely Uneven interviews

    I listened to the Laurie and Schiff interviews so different... Good questions for Laurie and softball sycophantic questions for Schiff. This is typical for this podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    strawberry1969
    United Statesa year ago
  • Love this pod. Thanks, KQED

    Fantastic podcast. Keep up the good work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SeraphinaS100
    United Statesa year ago
  • Need more diverse opinions

    The guests are all agreeing with each other. This doesn’t help anyone and convince no one.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    minimouser
    United Statesa year ago
  • More California please

    The interview about identity groups for Harris was deeply un-illuminating. Love when you keep it focused on state politics. Please, give us more smart guests talking about California. There are other podcasts that do national political news.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    NY1235at
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners appreciate the insider perspectives offered, which provide depth to political narratives that are often missed in mainstream coverage.
Some feedback indicates a desire for more diverse guest opinions and deeper analytical discussions, as certain episodes were seen as being surface-level.
Positive remarks about the engaging discussions and the hosts' ability to simplify complex political issues for listeners.
Positive comments note the focus on California politics, with listeners expressing satisfaction in finding a dedicated podcast for this topic.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#239
United States/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Trump's Rare Supreme Court Defeat
Q: Does this ruling surprise you?
Murray responds that while the court's reliance on the professor's argument is unusual, she is not surprised by the ruling against the administration.
Newsom Gears Up for his Final Year as Governor
Q: How do you think the state should handle the budget deficit?
It's primarily a spending issue, not revenue; we need to consolidate and fix failing areas.
Newsom Gears Up for his Final Year as Governor
Q: What was your impression of Gavin Newsom's speech?
It felt like a lot of words without reality; he's been in office for 16 years and hasn't solved many issues.
Farmworkers Pursue the American Dream in Fear of ICE Raids
Q: In terms of the politics of the situation, how do they see this moment?
Farmworkers view this difficult time as just another moment that they hope will pass, remembering similar challenges from the past.
Farmworkers Pursue the American Dream in Fear of ICE Raids
Q: What did you hear from the workers about their fears of ICE and what they've seen?
Workers expressed real fear of ICE raids, discussing rumors of raids and weighing the risks of going to work against their need for money.

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?

Focusing on California's political landscape, this podcast provides insightful discussions on current political events and trends affecting the state. It features interviews with a range of guests including politicians, political analysts, and media correspondents who offer expert opinions and in-depth analyses of critical issues impacting California's governance. Notably, the show seeks to explore not only headlines but also the narratives and strategies that drive political change in the state, creating a comprehensive resource for listeners who wish to stay informed about California politics.

Listeners might find the program's approach to analyzing multifaceted political issues appealing, as it often links broader national trends to loc... 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. The Bay
3. KQED's Forum
4. Bay Curious
5. The NPR Politics Podcast

How many episodes of Political Breakdown are there?

Political Breakdown launched 8 years ago and published 709 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. John Laird
2. David Tangipa
3. Cal Calamia
4. Jim Rainey
5. Liz Oyer
6. Brittny Mejia
7. Jill Habig
8. Erin Baldassari

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