# RedState A leading conservative political blog founded in 2004, now owned by [[Salem Media Group]] via its Townhall Media subsidiary. RedState was an early and influential force in the conservative blogosphere, helping establish the model of partisan political commentary and grassroots activism that defined right-wing digital media in the 2000s and 2010s. ## History and Founding RedState launched in 2004 as a collaborative conservative blog, gaining prominence during the Bush era as a hub for grassroots conservative organizing, opposition research against Democrats, and commentary on GOP politics. At its peak, it was considered one of the most influential conservative blogs in the country, cited by mainstream political media and read by Republican operatives and officeholders. [[Erick Erickson]] was the site's most prominent editor and public face for many years, building RedState into a go-to platform for movement conservatism before leaving to pursue other media ventures. ## Salem Media Group Ownership Salem Media Group, a Christian conservative media conglomerate, acquired RedState as part of its broader accumulation of conservative digital media properties. Under Salem/Townhall Media ownership, the site has operated as part of a network of right-wing web properties sharing infrastructure and editorial coordination. ## The Trump Purge RedState's most consequential internal rupture came in 2018 when several prominent writers who had been critical of [[Donald Trump]] were abruptly fired. The dismissals — including writers like Caleb Howe, Susan Wright, and others — came shortly after the site's parent company negotiated a new revenue-sharing arrangement with its advertising partner. Critics interpreted the firings as a purge of anti-Trump voices to align the site's editorial posture with the demands of its business relationships and audience. The episode became a widely-cited example of the Trump era's effect on conservative media organizations — the enforced loyalty that punished dissent even within ostensibly independent editorial operations. ## Current Editorial Character Post-purge RedState is reliably pro-Trump, covering conservative politics with an activist orientation. The site continues to function as a hub for movement conservative commentary, though its influence in the broader media ecosystem has diminished relative to its early-2000s peak. ## Position in the Ecosystem RedState occupies the mainstream conservative activist lane — more explicitly political than news-gathering, more establishment-adjacent than [[The Gateway Pundit]]-style tabloid conspiracy content, and closely tied to the Salem Media Group's broader network of conservative media properties including sister site [[RedState Watcher]].