Rep. Eli Crane joins freshman House Freedom Caucus members in new podcast
Rep. Eli Crane and his fellow freshman members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have started a podcast, which launched Monday.
Titled Fresh Freedom, the podcast intends to give an inside view of the representatives' congressional work as well as how the Freedom Caucus functions, according to Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., who organized the program.
"The goal of this podcast is to provide you with a backstage pass, if you will, to what's happening from the perspective of a freshman member of Congress," he said in a written statement.
The first episode explored the members' legislative goals, while looking back at why they ran for their positions.
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The podcast is another example of how Republicans are seeking to sidestep traditional media for alternative platforms to communicate political priorities. Conservative outlets such as Newsmax and the One America Network are also popular amongst the GOP.
Besides Burlison, Crane, R-Ariz., will join Reps. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla.; Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. and Andy Ogles R-Tenn.
"This is an opportunity for us to shed light on the battles we face in Congress as we fight to serve the people who sent us to represent them," Crane told The Arizona Republic in a written statement.
Listeners can find the podcast on Rumble, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. New episodes will be released at least once a month.
Crane represents Arizona's 2nd Congressional District, which contains Apache, Coconino, Graham, Greenlee and Navajo counties as well as parts of Gila, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal and Yavapai counties. The area was previously represented by Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., whom Crane defeated in November.
This group of first-year lawmakers gained notice in January by not supporting Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, in his bid for speaker, which took 15 rounds of votes before McCarthy won the gavel.
Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rep. Eli Crane joins other freshman congressmen in new podcast
