How Sean Hannity has given GOP candidates millions in free promotion

Fox News personality Sean Hannity is giving a major boost to Republican candidates ahead of the 2022 midterms, according to a new analysis by The Washington Post.

The newspaper noted that during one show two Wednesdays ago, Hannity interviewed three GOP Senate candidates. First was Sen. Ron Johnson, who is being challenged by Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin. Next was J.D. Vance, who facing Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio. And then Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is battling Attorney General Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania.

"In total, Hannity spent about 14 minutes of his show interviewing Republican Senate candidates — about a quarter of the full hour, even if you don’t take out the time spent showing ads," Philip Bump reported for The Post.

Hannity, a longtime major backer of Republican politicians, in 2018 even referred to Fox News as "fake news" at a campaign rally with Donald Trump.

"This is how Hannity has been spending his airtime of late: repeatedly welcoming and 'interviewing' Republican candidates," The Post reported. "He’s had 18 candidates on in the past two weeks, 13 of whom are Republicans running for Senate. Several candidates have appeared multiple times, including Johnson and Rep. Lee Zeldin, who’s running for governor of New York. On Monday, he took it a step further: dedicating the entirety of his show to a 'town hall' with Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, interspersing Wiffle-ball-level questions to the candidate with chats with more established Republican politicians who joined Hannity and Walker on the stage."

Bump estimated that the free airtime had a value, "north of $2.4 million."

"This is extremely valuable airtime," he explained. "Instead, it’s not costing them anything. In fact, it’s probably a net positive, by design: During the interview, they often pointedly include directions for viewers to visit their websites and contribute."

On Wednesday, Hannity is scheduled to have another hour-long "town hall" with Oz.

Read the full analysis.