The days of television ads and fliers in the mail are going by the wayside when it comes to campaigns getting their message out. Technology is changing fast and politicians — sitting or hopeful — are using influencers, artificial intelligence and more to try to get your attention and your vote.
This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Stephanie Murray are joined by three experts in various fields to discuss the new frontier of technology and politics.
First, Patrick Bench joins the show. He's the president of a public affairs firm and he’s been studying what happens when you ask ChatGPT who to vote for. Then you'll hear from Ian Schafer, the co-founder of Ensemble, a creator marketing
company. He explains clipping and how it's being used to make certain things go viral and make it seem like a campaign is gaining traction.
Lastly, The Gaggle is joined by Tucson's Deja Foxx. She is a content creator who ran for Congress in Congressional District 7 after the passing of Raúl Grijalva in 2025. She brings us into the world of political influencers and their role in 21st-century campaigning.
Listen to the episode
The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle in your favorite podcast app, but you can also stream the full episode below.
Note: The Gaggle is intended to be heard. But we also offer an AI transcript of the episode. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
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You can share your thoughts with us by calling 602-444-0804 or emailing us.
Reach producer Amanda Luberto at amanda.luberto@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X @amandaluberto.
Catch up on previous Gaggle episodes here:
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Your vote is harder to win. Why politics is turning to AI, influencers
