Rephonic
Artwork for The Downballot
Democratic Party
Donald Trump
Republican Party
North Carolina
Gerrymandering
Virginia
Texas
Redistricting
Abortion Rights
California
Voting Rights Act
Florida
Missouri
2024 Elections
Wisconsin Supreme Court
Special Elections
Arizona
North Carolina Supreme Court
Downballot Awards
Elon Musk

The Downballot podcast is dedicated to the thousands of elections below the presidency, from Senate to city council. With more than 20 years of experience analyzing U.S. elections, we provide unparalleled insight into congressional, state, and local races nationwide. Tune in every Thursday morning for one-of-a-kind coverage of these key contests. www.the-downballot.com

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes233Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
PoliticsGovernmentNews

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Downballot

Latest Episodes

Amid a years-long GOP assault on direct democracy, voters across the country have the chance to turn the tide next month. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, Hannah Ledford of the Fairness Project explains how her organization supports ... more

Republicans are giving up on races that would have once been unthinkable to abandon—and rushing to save candidates in states we can scarcely believe are competitive. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard... more

Here’s the downside to comfortably winning year after year: Your campaign skills get rusty in a hurry. As David Nir and guest-host Joe Sudbay discuss on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, that problem is now in full bloom for Republicans ... more

Democrats have blown past Republicans in primary turnout this year, but does it mean anything for November? The answer is a very firm “yes,” as co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast. In a groundbr... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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

Eric Ming
Executive Director of the State and Local Election Alliance (SLEA)
State and Local Election Alliance
Episode: The Senate battlefield is exploding
Sara Kohen
Candidate for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors
OPPD candidate
Episode: Primary turnout forecasts a Dem blowout
Justin Levitt
Law professor at Loyola Law School, expert on constitutional law and the law of democracy
Loyola Law School
Episode: How the USPS’ mail ballot gambit got smacked down
Adam Bonica
Political scientist, Stanford University
Stanford University
Episode: How Democratic 'spam PACs' victimize vulnerable seniors
Kari Chisholm
Political consultant and communication strategist, former guest
Portland, Oregon (based)
Episode: The Downballot’s ‘Senate flip’ fantasy draft
Cindy Holscher
Democratic State Senator, Democratic nominee for governor of Kansas
Kansas Legislature / Campaign
Episode: Democrats claim another big special election victory
Chelsey Wininger
Executive Director of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State
Democratic Association of Secretaries of State
Episode: The pro-pipe bomb Republican running for secretary of state
Curtis Hertel
Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party
Michigan Democratic Party
Episode: El-Sayed vs. Stevens tops major primary night
Scott Colom
District Attorney, Mississippi 16th Judicial District; Democratic Senate nominee
Mississippi politics / The Downballot
Episode: How Democrats can make Mississippi competitive

Hosts

David Beard
Host of The Downballot; longtime analysis of US elections and down-ballot dynamics.
David Nir
Co-host and presenter focusing on data-driven election analysis and policy context.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 192 ratings
  • Fantasy Senate….

    Seats! You two cracked me up. What a great show. My one comment about your pick in Minnesota “. Tafoya” to flip to a Republican The way ICE has brutalized the state. I cannot even begin to imagine anyone in that state voting republican.

    All your other picks are spot on. 🩵

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    IoB.
    United States2 months ago
  • Appreciate the breadth and detail

    Please find some alternative ways of saying Democrats or their candidates “understand the assignment”. Thanks for the show!

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    jdjdms
    United States2 months ago
  • Maine explained.

    Finally. A fulsome explanation of the Platner debacle. And from a Maine resident. Thank you for sorting all the players out for us. Always informative, always helpful.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    IoB.
    United States3 months ago
  • Educational!

    To the Davids, I wanted you to know that I had a baking get together with a number of high school students and for entertainment I played them your podcast. The episode about Nancy Mace, primaries and NYC. Everyone loved your show.

    The students were really interested. Thank you! 💙

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    IoB.
    United States4 months ago
  • A must listen to politics podcast every week!!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    slatersli@hotmail.com
    6 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Insightful, accessible deep dives into down-ballot races.

Top Politics Podcasts

Pod Save America
Pod Save AmericaPod Save America
Psycho Politics with George Conway
Psycho Politics with George ConwayPsycho Politics with George Conway
Candace
CandaceCandace Owens
Letters from an American
Letters from an AmericanHeather Cox Richardson
Bulwark Takes
Bulwark TakesThe Bulwark
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The New Yorker Radio HourWNYC Studios and The New Yorker
Still Counting
Still CountingCrooked Media

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Senate battlefield is exploding
Q: Tell us about SLEA, what it is, what you guys do, and how you got involved.
SLEA focuses on the most important, yet often overlooked, local election offices and officials—county boards, clerks, city councils, and local judges—to ensure fair administration, robust voter education, and protection of democratic processes. The goal is to provide strategic, low-cost political air cover for decent actors at the local level and to counter attempts to disrupt elections by bad actors.
Primary turnout forecasts a Dem blowout
Q: What does it mean for the Omaha Public Power District race if the national trends point toward a Democratic advantage?
A Democratic-leaning national environment could influence local perceptions of energy policy, rates, and reliability; Kohen argues for responsible management and transparency that align with voters' worries about costs and power reliability, suggesting the board race could be pivotal in keeping utilities affordable while transitioning to cleaner energy.
Primary turnout forecasts a Dem blowout
Q: Break us down a little bit how that gets calculated, how you would find the National Primary Margin of the Democrats and the Republicans.
Dan Donner constructed a 'national primary' by aggregating data from governor, Senate, Secretary of State, and other statewide primaries across all states, then compared the aggregate Democratic vs Republican turnout to derive a national margin, and then compared shifts in that margin year over year to shifts in the National House popular vote to forecast outcomes.
How the USPS’ mail ballot gambit got smacked down
Q: What was the Postal Service attempting to do with the new mail ballot rules?
The Postal Service sought to impose outbound-only requirements on election mail, including envelope specifications, barcoding, and a pre-approved voter list that would determine whether a ballot could be delivered to a voter, aiming to standardize and possibly restrict delivery in a way that could influence turnout.
How Democratic 'spam PACs' victimize vulnerable seniors
Q: Why did major outlets hesitate to publish your findings, and how did you finally get it out there?
Outlets faced coordinated pushback and legal pressure from involved entities; after repeated revisions and delays, the work eventually appeared on Bonica's Substack, where he could publish without external editorial constraints.

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 The Downballot

What is The Downballot about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A data-driven political analysis show focused on elections below the presidential level, with a steady cadence of weekly deep dives into state, local, and down-ballot races. Episodes routinely dissect primary results, redistricting, voting rights, and election administration, often featuring expert guests and long-form interviews with party officials, watchdog groups, and policy advocates. The tone blends rigorous data, clear storytelling, and practical takeaways for campaigns, civic organizations, and media covering US elections. A few episodes break format with live recordings or focused spotlights on pivotal races, underscoring its usefulness for listeners who want actionable insights into how down-ballot dynamics shape the broader elect... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Downballot?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Downballot. 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 The Downballot and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Downballot get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Downballot, 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 The Downballot?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Downballot, 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 The Downballot have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Downballot 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 The Downballot?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Downballot:

1. Still Counting
2. The TPM Show with Josh and Kate
3. Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast
4. The Focus Group Podcast
5. Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

How many episodes of The Downballot are there?

The Downballot launched 5 years ago and published 233 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 The Downballot?

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 The Downballot?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Downballot 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 The Downballot?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Downballot. 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 The Downballot?

Recent guests on The Downballot include:

1. Eric Ming
2. Sara Kohen
3. Justin Levitt
4. Adam Bonica
5. Kari Chisholm
6. Cindy Holscher
7. Chelsey Wininger
8. Curtis Hertel

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