Podcast “Ruthless” Begins Candidate Interviews
The “Ruthless” podcast, aimed at helping listeners gauge if a candidate can get along with others and be a decent person, kicked off its series of midterm candidate interviews with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. This episode was released on Thursday.
Paxton, who is currently topping the Republican Senate primary polls, despite not having the backing of former President Donald Trump, engaged with co-hosts Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook in what’s the first of several notable interviews. The intention is to educate the audience ahead of the crucial midterm elections.
“These midterm elections are really important,” Holmes stated. “And one of our commitments to you as our listeners is that we’ll bring you interviews to help familiarize you with the key candidates in these significant races.”
In addition, “Ruthless” has launched an interactive map that highlights essential Senate races and includes links to candidate information and interviews, which will be updated throughout the year. This resource aims to provide viewers with an easy way to see who is vying for their representation.
Holmes mentioned, “The idea here is to give everyone a real-time, accessible chance to click on their state and learn about the candidates running for office.”
The podcast hopes that this series, along with the map, enables listeners to make better-informed voting decisions. “In traditional media, there’s often a bias in how they’re covering candidates,” Holmes observed. “They tend to signal who you should be voting for based on their coverage. We want to approach it differently.”
He emphasized that the format is conversational, as if hanging out with friends: “We really just want to know, can you relate to people? Can you be seen as a decent person?”
In contrast to mainstream media, where “guests might face harsh criticism,” Smug remarked that their podcast offers a more welcoming platform for discussions.
Duncan pointed out that there are already interviews, including one with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, up on their new site. “You’ll have a wealth of information available before you cast your vote,” he explained, adding that more content will roll out over the upcoming months, making this a significant resource for voters.
Another prominent candidate for the Texas Senate seat, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), is expected in court next week.
Holmes affirmed, “We want to give you a chance to not only learn about candidates through the usual tough questions but also uncover more about who they are as people. It’s about understanding their characters, which matters, especially in Republican primaries.”
