Texas takeover: Ted Cruz is first sitting senator with a nationally syndicated radio show

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) is taking his podcast to a new level and becoming the first sitting senator to host a nationally syndicated radio show in the process.

Cruz and Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, announced that Cruz’s Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast will air on over 100 radio stations, from Alaska to Florida.

Cruz launched Verdict in 2020, and it regularly charts in the top 200 podcasts every week. In addition to his day job as a legislator, Cruz releases Verdict episodes three times a week. It has amassed over 28 million views on YouTube and and hundreds of millions across other platforms.

“Verdict gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what’s really happening in Washington, D.C., and we’re excited to begin reaching even more people across the country who are hungry for in-depth conversations on the most important issues facing our nation,” Cruz said about the news.

His podcast’s success is greater than he could have imagined, he said.

“At first we thought it was going to be 84, we had over 100 stations that took up the podcast, aired it across the country,” Cruz said. “We were in markets all over the country. We're in some of the biggest markets in the nation.”

Premiere Networks’s decision to syndicate Cruz’s podcast isn’t a shock. In recent weeks, he’s had Elon Musk, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on as guests.

Cruz’s co-host, Ben Ferguson, noted that other radio legends, like Sean Hannity, sent their “warm wishes” to Cruz in advance of the big announcement.

Cruz’s podcast can be found here.