Outlet profile

RedState

U.S. right

Owned byOwned by Salem Media Group through its Townhall Media division (alongside Townhall, HotAir, and Bearing Arms); Salem's board agreed in June 2026 to a buyout by Waterstone, a Christian donor-advised-fund foundation, a deal still working through completion.

FundingDigital advertising and Salem Media Group's corporate revenue (radio broadcasting, publishing, and web properties); Salem is a publicly-traded-turned-going-private company built on conservative Christian talk radio.

On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

RedState launched in July 2004, founded by Josh Trevino, Ben Domenech, and Mike Krempasky as a grassroots conservative blog; Erick Erickson became its best-known editor and public face until 2015. Salem Communications (now Salem Media Group) acquired RedState in 2010 and later folded it into its Townhall Media digital portfolio alongside Townhall.com, HotAir, and Bearing Arms. Erickson was a prominent primary-season critic of Donald Trump, notably disinviting him from RedState's 2015 gathering over remarks about Megyn Kelly, which put the site at odds with the eventual GOP nominee. In April 2018, Salem executed a widely reported "mass firing" of several RedState contributors, including some of its more Trump-skeptical writers, a move seen as realigning the site more closely with pro-Trump conservatism. Since then RedState has operated as a reliably pro-Trump opinion outlet, publishing commentary defending administration policies and attacking Democrats and mainstream media. In mid-2026, Salem Media Group's board approved an acquisition by Waterstone, a Christian donor-advised fund, which would change RedState's corporate ownership without altering its editorial orientation. The site is best characterized as conservative advocacy journalism rather than nonpartisan reporting.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-09-24; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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