Krystal Ball

Krystal Ball is a political commentator, journalist, author, and media entrepreneur whose career spans electoral politics, national television, and independent media. Ball holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia and worked as a certified public accountant before entering politics. She ran as a Democrat for Virginia's 1st congressional district, campaigning on economic reform and drawing national attention to issues of sexism in campaigns after a scandal involving leaked personal photos. Although she did not win the race, Forbes Magazine included her on its list of "The Top 25 Most Powerful Women of the Midterm Elections." This experience navigating public scrutiny and gender bias in politics influenced her direct approach to media.

Ball co-hosted "The Cycle," a political talk show on MSNBC, providing commentary on political and social issues. She became a frequent political commentator and appeared on programs such as "The Today Show," "The Ed Show," "Good Morning America," and "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell." One of her widely discussed monologues on "The Cycle" was a critique of Hillary Clinton, urging her not to run for president.

Ball is also a published author and political organizer. Her first book, "Reversing the Apocalypse: Hijacking the Democratic Party to Save the World," argues that the Democratic Party should return to its New Deal roots by adopting a more economically interventionist agenda. Ball also created the People's House Project, a political action committee supporting Democratic causes. Her second book, co-authored with Saagar Enjeti, is "The Populist's Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left Are Rising," which explores cross-ideological populist politics.

Ball began hosting the webcast "Rising" on The Hill, originally co-hosting with Buck Sexton and later with Saagar Enjeti. The show featured news and commentary from an independent platform, with Ball representing left-wing populism and Enjeti representing right-wing populism. Ball and Enjeti later launched their own independent project, "Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar." The show quickly grew its audience, surpassing 1 million subscribers on YouTube and ranking among the top political podcasts in the United States on both YouTube and Spotify.

Ball's co-hosting of "Breaking Points" has contributed to the mainstreaming of populist critiques within U.S. political media, reaching a broad audience and positioning the show as a leading political podcast. She has appeared as a guest on networks such as CNN, CNBC, and Fox News, and has been featured on shows like "Real Time with Bill Maher." Ball's willingness to challenge orthodoxies across the political spectrum, combined with her background in economics, electoral politics, and national broadcasting, establishes her as a distinctive voice in American political media.