On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris made a significant media appearance during this election cycle, but it wasn’t on a well-known news channel or a local broadcast. Instead, she appeared on the popular podcast “Call Her Daddy,” hosted by Alex Cooper.

“I urge all the Daddy Gang: Don’t hear ‘no,'” Harris encouraged at one point, referring to the name Cooper uses for her fanbase.

While it was surprising to see the Vice President on a podcast, this decision could be strategic in galvanizing key voter groups – particularly young women in Gen Z and millennial demographics – to participate in the elections. “Call Her Daddy” was one of the top podcasts on Spotify last year, second only to “The Joe Rogan Experience.” It also boasts 2.4 million Instagram followers and 3.9 million TikTok followers.

This move aligns with trends showing that younger women are more politically progressive than previous generations, and Harris has a significant lead with 70% of likely female voters in that age bracket.

In a highly competitive election, Harris’ podcast appearance might be a wise tactic to rally her supporters, especially as Donald Trump sparks enthusiasm among his MAGA base.

What topics did Kamala Harris discuss on ‘Call Her Daddy’?

Dressed in a purple hoodie and heeled boots, Cooper posed relatively simple questions covering various issues concerning women. The dialogue was open and engaging, a striking contrast to the limited-length interviews Harris has conducted with traditional news outlets since she began her presidential campaign.

They talked about how a high school friend’s experience with sexual abuse motivated her to become California’s top prosecutor. At one poignant moment, they discussed the necessary actions for women who face sexual abuse.

A segment of the interview addressed abortion accessibility, highlighting a case about Amber Thurman, a Georgia woman who passed away in 2022 due to complications following a medication abortion.

Other subjects tackled in the 40-minute conversation included student loan debt – the first time Harris was directly asked about this during her campaign – as well as her economic proposals.

The emergence of the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast

<p“Call Her Daddy” was founded in 2018 by Cooper and her then-roommate Sofia Franklyn. Their stories about sexual adventures in New York City quickly gained the attention of Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, who signed them shortly after their debut.

In 2020, Franklyn departed the show over salary disputes. Subsequently, Cooper secured a three-year, $60 million contract with Spotify, shifting the focus to more in-depth interviews with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Miley Cyrus.

Recently, she struck an even larger deal with SiriusXM to produce exclusive content for satellite radio starting in 2025.

It’s evident that Cooper does not identify as a traditional media journalist, a fact she acknowledged at the beginning of the episode.

“At the end of the day, I couldn’t imagine a situation where one of the central discussions of this election is women, and I’m not included in it,” she explained her choice to interview Harris.

This was precisely why Harris chose to join the podcast.

“Call Her Daddy” ranks as the fifth most popular podcast among women in the U.S., with nearly 80% of its listeners under the age of 35. About half identify as Democrats, while a quarter identify as Republicans.

This is the target audience for Harris.

Harris recognizes the need to connect beyond conventional media

Similar to Harris’ involvement in “brat summer” and her invite to influencers to the Democratic National Convention, her campaign aims to engage Gen Z where they are rather than depend solely on mainstream media to promote her presidential message.

This is a clever approach, especially considering that younger generations tend to trust traditional news outlets less than older ones.

By addressing voters in their preferred spaces and benefiting from Cooper’s gentle questioning style, Harris took the opportunity to genuinely present herself to the young women tuning into “Call Her Daddy.” She emphasized the issues that particularly resonate with them and encouraged viewing voting as a form of empowerment.

There was significant debate surrounding the decision to have Harris interviewed, affecting both the Democratic candidate and the host. The New York Post labeled Harris’ appearance “a joke.” Cooper has also received backlash from viewers for bringing politics into the show at all.

While some critics argue that Harris wasted her time engaging with an already supportive audience, I see it differently. Others claim that Cooper missed the opportunity to ask pressing questions regarding disaster relief efforts and immigration. Ultimately, both Harris and Cooper fulfilled the interview’s purpose: to reintroduce Harris to a warm audience and highlight the significance of this upcoming election.

Although I’m skeptical that anyone will change their voting preference solely due to an interview, it was a clever strategy for Harris to appear on the show and advocate for her candidacy.