No one could replace the greatest conservative radio host of all time, Rush Limbaugh. However, someone had to take the GOAT’s radio slot, and Cumulus Media’s Westwood One announced that conservative commentator Dan Bongino has answered the call.
“The Dan Bongino Show” will air on the radio Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, Westwood One announced in a press release.
Bongino did not pretend that he was replacing Rush Limbaugh, but he did tip his hat to the GOAT by pledging to honor “the trailblazing work of those who came before me.”
“I’m excited to embrace the immense power of radio to connect with my listeners live for three hours every day,” Bongino said in a statement. “This is an incredible privilege, and I pledge to honor the trailblazing work of those who came before me.”
“Dan is passionate and relatable, with a natural ability to connect with his audience,” Suzanne Grimes, president of Westwood One and executive vice president of Cumulus media, said in the statement. “Dan has been on a meteoric rise since his podcast launched in 2019, and we look forward to watching his star continue to soar.”
According to the release, “The Dan Bongino Show will tackle the hot political issues, debunking both liberal and Republican establishment rhetoric.”
Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer, won the 2012 Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Maryland, but he lost to the Democrat incumbent. Bongino came close to unseating Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) in the 2014 House race.
Over the past ten years, Bongino has earned a spot on The New York Times bestseller list several times and joined Fox News as a contributor. In 2020, his podcast was downloaded more than 117 million times. It ranked either #1 or #2 among all podcasts on Apple in the weeks following the November election.
Bongino has proven a conservative stalwart, and he will do well in Rush Limbaugh’s old time slot. I personally met Bongino in 2012 when he was running for Senate — a nearly hopeless task in deep-blue Maryland. I admired his determination and his aggressive defense of conservative values.
While his style echoes Limbaugh’s, he will not be able to truly replace the GOAT — and he does not pretend that he can.
Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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