How a podcast accidentally launched a presidential campaign

There are countless podcasts dedicated to discussing, explaining and arguing about American politics — but perhaps only one has actually managed to have a direct impact on the political process. And it was a total accident.

Mike Gravel, the 88-year-old former senator from Alaska, is one of the 20-odd candidates who are vying for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2020 election. And his unlikely candidacy was inspired, inadvertently, by the popular socialist podcast Chapo Trap House, when 17-year-old listener David Oks heard the hosts discussing Gravel back in March.

"I'm a devoted listener of Chapo," Oks told Podcast Playlist. "It was pretty much the pivotal thing in getting me to actually try to convince the senator to run."

And he succeeded — Oks, who is still in high school, is now managing the Gravel 2020 campaign, along with two friends.  

Gravel initially said his intention was not to win the election, but to make it on to the debate stage where he will use that platform to push an anti-war, anti-imperialist message. He now says he's running to win.

His anti-war message is one he's delivered consistently over the years, from his last presidential run in 2008 — when he loudly declared on the debate stage that American soldiers fighting in Vietnam "died in vain" — back to 1971, when he read the Pentagon Papers into the Senate record, thereby making them public.

The teenage campaign managers have drawn heavily on online meme culture to popularize their campaign, attracting attention for their irreverent Twitter posts and fundraising efforts. On April 20, the campaign offered limited edition Pentagon Papers rolling papers to anyone who donated $4.20 or more.

Chapo Trap House is known for its leftist politics and iconoclastic sense of humour and worldview. While the hosts have been very supportive of Bernie Sanders, they have been less willing to publicly associate themselves with the Gravel campaign, despite their role in inspiring it.

Oks said he had contacted the podcast in an attempt to get Gravel on the show, but that the hosts weren't interested.

The creators of Chapo Trap House did not respond to a request for comment. But in a recent episode, they addressed the story and indicated they had been receiving a lot of questions about it.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say I'm really glad that the Mike Gravel kids are doing their thing and that they're fans of the show," said host Will Menaker on the podcast. But, he continued, "I gotta say, I don't have very many thoughts about Mike Gravel running for president in 2020. It seems like kind of a literal 'Weekend at Bernie's' situation to me."

Oks said he was disappointed by that reaction, and said he had stopped listening for now.

"I've put them on hold until they reach out to us," he said.  "I've been betrayed by my favourite podcast."