More and more Democrats vying for the White House are appearing on late-night talkshows and podcasts, showing voters a different side of who they are

Diners and town halls. Iowa and New Hampshire. The Rachel Maddow Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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While some campaign stops for Democrats running for president are very familiar, others reflect how the rise of liberal media hosts, late-night comedians and “going viral” online could make all the difference in a tight race.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has appeared twice in three months on Colbert’s programme on the CBS TV network, first to promote her book, then for the big reveal about 2020. Colbert asked: “Do you have anything you would like to announce?” She replied: “I’m filing an exploratory committee for president of the United States, tonight!”

Other guests on The Late Show, filmed before an audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York and broadcast at 11.35pm, have included Eric Holder, Cory Booker, John Kerry, Beto O’Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Julián Castro (who appeared with twin brother Joaquín) and Kamala Harris, all of whom have declared their candidacy or are said to be considering it. A recent CNN article was headlined: “Welcome to the Stephen Colbert primary.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bernie Sanders and Stephen Colbert during the 23 June 2016 taping of The Late Show. Photograph: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Colbert, 54, who cut his teeth in improvisational comedy, has earned it. Future historians could do worse than watch the bitingly satirical take-downs of Donald Trump in his opening monologues. His edgy political wit has catapulted him past Jimmy Fallon in the late-night ratings and drawn interviewees including Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi.

“Any Democratic candidate who thinks they can ignore Stephen Colbert might as well not run for president,” said Stephen Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. “Colbert once joked that the road to the White House runs through his show but it’s no joke; it is exactly so.”

Colbert’s interviews are generally humorous with occasional probing questions. Farnsworth added: “Politicians have increasingly promoted their personalities in public. When you see how they interact on Twitter and YouTube, you see a heavy reliance on presenting themselves as a personality rather than discussing issues. These talkshows are a wonderful vehicle for getting a sense of who these people are in a way a stilted news conference never will.”

Colbert is building on a long tradition. The first presidential candidate to appear on late-night TV was John F Kennedy, who featured on Tonight Starring Jack Paar in 1960, soon followed by his opponent Richard Nixon. Another Democrat aiming for the presidency, Bill Clinton, wore sunglasses and played Heartbreak Hotel on the tenor saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Then Arkansas governor Bill Clinton plays the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show on 3 June 1992. Photograph: Reed Saxon/AP

Others got a relatively easy ride on the talkshows of Jay Leno and David Letterman or had cameo roles on Saturday Night Live, including Trump himself in November 2015. And Comedy Central offered The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report (the same Colbert), two court jesters offering satire that many younger viewers found more refreshing than cable news.

But cable news has a new lease of life in the Trump era, especially at prime time. On the right, there’s Sean Hannity on Fox News. On the left, Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. Her menu of news and analysis with attitude – “We have a bunch of questions” – averaged the second-highest audience on cable news last year with 2.9 million viewers per night, according to Nielsen.

She has her own views on things and, by the way, she doesn’t disguise them: they’re right out in the open Bob Shrum on Rachel Maddow

Maddow scooped the first interview with Warren after the Massachusetts senator announced she was formally exploring a run for the White House. She asked Gillibrand pointed questions about her shifting policy positions. Last week she questioned Harris and the Ohio senator Sherrod Brown, another possible candidate. All seemingly regard Maddow’s show as a hotline to the anti-Trump resistance.

Bob Shrum, a Democratic strategist who was an adviser to the Al Gore and John Kerry presidential campaigns, said: “I think she’s terrific. She’s incisive, she’s smart, she has her own views on things and, by the way, she doesn’t disguise them: they’re right out in the open.”

Robert Lichter, professor of communication at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, said: “With the Democratic party moving to the left, she’s positioned to become a kingmaker. She’s a highly respected liberal and can make or break a candidacy early on by exposing someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Candidates will try to aim through Colbert’s jokes and Maddow’s seriousness.”

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The Daily Show with Trevor Noah has featured Booker and Gillibrand in recent months and the “no-bullshit” podcast Pod Save America also interviewed Gillibrand.

David Litt, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama and author of Thanks, Obama, said: “It does require politicians to be a little more nimble and versatile because the talking points you fall back on on [Sunday TV politics talkshow] Meet the Press might not work when you’re being interviewed by a podcast or answering questions on Instagram or YouTube.”

Litt, 32, usually catches Maddow’s show through clips on social media, which gives TV interviews a multiplier effect.

“When I was at the Obama White House, we noticed when we did something with a less traditional media outlet, such as BuzzFeed or Between Two Ferns, the rest of the press still had to cover it … People are looking for authenticity and honesty and have less trust than ever in the traditional political press.”