Conservative chart-toppers

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Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   Criticism from mainstream media and the left is fueling chart-topping populist songs. Why it matters: Republicans are stealing some Democratic thunder by harnessing the power of pop culture, Axios' Stef Kight and Sara Fischer report. Oliver Anthony's twangy, anti-government "Rich Men North of Richmond" is No. 1 for the second week in a row on the Billboard Hot 100 — just after Jason Aldean's controversial "Try That in a Small Town" topped the charts. Anthony said he found it "funny" that his song was the basis for the opening question during the first GOP presidential debate, saying he "wrote that song about those people" and it has "nothing to do with Joe Biden." Aldean has more openly embraced politics in his music, and has been a guest at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago. What's happening: Democrats' inability to resist "a lecture or a judgment" just empowers the right, Kurt Bardella — a Democratic strategist and former GOP spokesperson who runs the popular country music newsletter Morning Hangover — told Axios. "They might as well take a big smoke signal and say: 'Yes, please do segment after segment on this,'" Bardella said. Nearly all of the top stories about "Try That in a Small Town" for social media interaction revolved around the left's criticism, according to data from NewsWhip. ? Between the lines: Country artists became more comfortable making their alliances known during the Trump era, Bardella said. Country artists had steered clear of politics for years, learning a lesson from the widespread backlash faced by The Chicks in 2003 when they criticized then-President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. ? What we're watching: Aldean and Anthony are likely just the start of a new era. "This isn't a one-hit wonder," Bardella said. "There's starting to be a formula that's working — and the left plays into it every time."