With today’s unveiling, we’ve officially reached the halfway point and now stand at the cusp of the ten biggest, most consequential names in American conservatism over the last 25 years — the crème de la crème of liberty, freedom, and laissez-faire economics. Ten names already in the books — and after today, only ten names to go.
25. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson
24. Walter Williams
23. JD Vance
22. Matt Walsh
21. Bill O’Reilly
20. Ron DeSantis
19. Elon Musk
18. Glenn Beck
17. Pat Buchanan
16. Samuel Alito
So, with no further ado…
15. Ted Cruz
Why He Is on the List: Arguably the loudest, most influential conservative voice in Congress. And if Trump hadn’t run in 2016, there’s an excellent chance Sen. Cruz (R-Texas) would’ve been the GOP’s presidential nominee. Like clockwork, you can almost always depend on Cruz to not only vote the right way — but also to make the media rounds, defending conservative issues and causes. (His social media game is also exquisite.)
Cruz is as much a conservative evangelist as he is a legislator.
Along with now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Cruz embodied the realignment of Hispanic voters: Gone are the days when they automatically voted for Democrats. Hispanics in general — and Cuban Americans in particular — are quickly becoming a force within the GOP.
Cruz isn’t perfect. He was showered with boos at the 2016 Republican Convention when he failed to endorse Trump. (And, for whatever reason, his vacation plans eerily align with Texas state disasters.) He was also on the losing end of his recent debate (and/or ambush) with Tucker Carlson. But despite his flaws — or perhaps because of them — Cruz continues to fight for the conservative cause. He’s emerged as the one conservative that other conservatives trust.
He’s also one of the very few men on this list who would be just as perfect on the Supreme Court as he would in the Oval Office. And 25 years from now, that could be where he ends up.
14. Victor Davis Hanson
Why He Is on the List: The intellectual heavyweight of conservatism and our go-to expert on war, history, politics, and culture. Hanson isn’t always right. Nobody is. But his batting average is about as good as it gets — and when Hanson speaks, everyone else shuts the hell up. (He’s the conservative version of E.F. Hutton.)
Over the last 25 years, he’s guided conservatives, analyzed current events, and meticulously deconstructed leftist talking points. Whereas some on the “right” rely on schtick, Hanson is a throwback: He’s pure, unadulterated, meat-and-potatoes substance. Armed with generational insights, a genius-level I.Q., and the academic bona fides of authoring 20+ history/political books, Hanson is an institution unto himself.
Now in his 70s, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Hanson is that his star is still on the rise: His lectures are insanely popular on YouTube among Millennials and Zoomers. As crazy as it sounds, his influence over the next 25 years might be just as great.
13. The Koch Family
Why They Are on the List: ‘Cause money talks, baby! However, billionaires Miriam and Sheldon Adelson actually donated more money to Republican candidates than the Koch family. So, why are Miriam and Sheldon Adelson listed at #25 and the Koch family at (lucky) #13?
Simple: The amount of soft money the Koch family has donated to conservative causes, organizations, and think-tanks is likely in the BILLIONS. A 2016 Politico article claimed that the Koch political infrastructure “rivaled that of the Republican National Committee.” It absolutely dwarfs the half-a-billion donated by the Adelson family.
The disclosure laws for soft money expenditures differ from direct political donations. Which means, the total amount of money that the Koch family has spent will likely remain a mystery. But Koch Industries pulls in $115 billion in annual revenue; their financial resources are enormous.
They also scare the crap out of Democrats. A Huffington Post article from 2016 entitled “Did the Kochs Bring Us President Trump?” pointed out:
Since Obama took office, the Koch-backed Republican Party has made inroads at all levels of governments, particularly at the state level, where they’ve gained an eye-popping 900 seats.
This is America: Money talks.
12. Ben Shapiro
Why Is He on the List: He’s the most popular conservative in alternative media and the public face of The Daily Wire. If he were “just” a podcaster, Shapiro would (probably) still make this list; his show is #1, and he’s hugely influential amongst younger conservatives.
But he certainly wouldn’t be in the Top Dozen.
It’s the “everything else” that pushed him so far up the rankings: Shapiro has built an honest-to-God conservative media empire — with books, movies, and TV shows. The Daily Wire’s content is sometimes schizophrenic; putting its money behind the Matt Walsh documentaries “Am I Racist?” and “What Is a Woman?” probably made more sense than apolitical titles like “The Hyperions,” “Shut In,” or “Terror on the Prairie.” Nonetheless, it made a statement about The Daily Wire’s lofty goals: It doesn’t just want to compete with Fox News; it's gunning for the likes of Disney. (Their ill-fated “Snow White” remake notwithstanding.)
Thirty-odd years ago, shock-jock Howard Stern proclaimed himself the “King of All Media” after succeeding in radio, print, and film. Today’s “King of All Media” is Ben Shapiro. From best-selling books, the world’s most popular conservative podcast, feature films, documentaries, television — and even a rapping career — his influence, as huge as it is, is still in its infancy.
After all, he’s only 41. Which means that his next 25 years might even be bigger.
11. Sean Hannity
Why Is He on the List: For most of the last 25 years, he hosted the second-biggest conservative radio show in America. He also had the #2 conservative TV show on Fox News. (Plus, all those best-selling books.)
So why is he only #11? Wouldn’t you expect the #2 guy on the radio and television to crack the top ten?
There’s something about Hannity where the parts are greater than the whole.
He’s sort of like Phil Niekro, the ex-knuckleball pitcher: During Niekro’s prime, he was never considered the game’s top gun, but via longevity and consistency, his stats were impressive enough for Cooperstown. Similarly, Hannity isn’t the #1 choice of conservatives, but his commitment, career, and legacy are still widely respected.
More a by-the-books workman than a natural-born entertainer, Hannity lacked the playful wit of a Rush Limbaugh, the irreverence of a G. Gordon Liddy, the storytelling of a Paul Harvey, and the goofy silliness of a Glenn Beck. Instead, he dutifully preached conservative values, parroting the talking points of the day: When President Bush was being attacked for the Iraq War, Hannity always had his back. When the Tea Party movement was rockin’, so was Hannity. When MAGA ascended, Hannity was the man who had Trump’s ear.
You don’t listen to Hannity for unique insights. That’s not his game.
But through thick and thin, Hannity understands conservative America. And for 25 years, you always knew you could turn to Hannity for wisdom and guidance. Now in his 60s, he’s no longer the firebrand of his youth.
Today, he’s more like a comfort food.
Tomorrow: We begin the top ten!
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