In the 21st century, podcasts have grown from a niche entertainment medium to one of the most popular forms of media. While many podcasts are focused on entertainment, comedy, or self-help, there is also a demand for frank political discussion on both sides of the political spectrum. Many former Fox News hosts have some of the most-downloaded podcasts on platforms like Spotify, while The Young Turks and Pod Save America, among others, offer left-leaning insight into major political and cultural issues.

Political podcasts without a slant can potentially help bridge the political and cultural divide in the United States, providing grounded and fact-based dialogue about important issues of the day. This is the space occupied by 13th & Park, a digital media channel with more than 2.3 million YouTube subscribers. Launched by leading government relations and public affairs firm Ballard Partners, the show offers a bipartisan forum for discussions that both inform and entertain. Guests include politicians from both sides of the aisle, as well as award-winning journalists, policy experts, famous athletes, and other influencers—all sharing fresh takes and savvy insights.

A Production of Ballard Partners

Ballard Partners launched 13th & Park in September 2022 and has since produced three seasons and more than 150 episodes. The firm has two offices, one on 13th Street in Washington, D.C. and another on Park Street in Tallahassee, Florida; the podcast’s name is a nod to these addresses. Podcast episodes, which feature candid discussions on policy and current events, are filmed and recorded in the Ballard Partners Studios in Washington, D.C., and available on all major platforms.

Firm partners Justin Sayfie and Adam Goodman co-hosted the first two seasons of 13th & Park. Sayfie is a former top advisor to Florida Governor Jeb Bush and has held positions in the administrations of three U.S. presidents. He has also been featured as a political commentator on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. Goodman, who hosted the podcast by himself in season three, is also a frequent guest on news programs. He has more than four decades of experience producing award-winning programs across a variety of media and was the first Edward R. Murrow Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

“13th & Park listeners will feel like they are eavesdropping on a private conversation between the savviest minds in the country,” said Ballard Partners founder and president Brian Ballard, when announcing the podcast. “Adam and Justin are the perfect co-hosts for the podcast’s insightful conversations on a broad range of topics including politics, government, economics, technology, and culture.”

Audience Growth over the Years

The first episode of the 13th & Park podcast featured a conversation with Larry Sabato, founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. In the 27-minute episode, Sabato discussed the political climate in the US at the time and analyzed public polling ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Other early guests of the podcast included Marc Caputo, NBC Digital reporter; John McLaughlin, longtime GOP pollster; and Courtney Coppola, head of Ballard’s Cannabis Practice Group.

Since this first season, the podcast has grown tremendously—many of its more recent episodes have hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Its most-viewed episode with Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer Johnny Bench has more than 510,000 views.

As of late June 2025, the 13th & Park YouTube channel had 2.39 million subscribers and close to 500 videos. It grew by more than 1 million subscribers during its highly popular second season, while Ballard Partners built a second studio in West Hollywood. Episodes are also available to stream or download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

A Look Back at Its Most Recent Season

Building upon the success of its second season, 13th & Park has delivered dozens of episodes since the launch of season three in October 2024. In addition to Bench, guests have included U.S. Senator Steve Daines, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Fox News host and interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, and singer/songwriter Ted Nugent.

Many of its most-watched episodes are from its third season, including a “Let’s Talk” encore conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This had more than 360,000 views. Episodes with professor Robert Luther III, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson, and former U.S. Representative Dave Reichert had more than 300,000 views as well.

Other Past Guests and Topics

Some of the guests that helped 13th & Park attract a wider audience in the second season included U.S. Senators Rick Scott, Chuck Grassley, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, and Tom Cotton; Governor Gavin Newsom; and three-time Olympic medalist Mel Stewart. The 23-minute episode with prominent pollster John McLaughlin, which now has 237,000 views on YouTube, covered the tumultuous events leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election. Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Chris Matthews, former host of Hardball on MSNBC, were among the other notable 13th & Park guests in 2024.