Erick Erickson

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This article is about the political blogger. For other people with similar names, see Eric Erickson (disambiguation).
Erick Erickson
Erick Erickson by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Erickson in June 2011.
Born (1975-06-03) June 3, 1975 (age 40)
Jackson, East Feliciana Parish
Louisiana, US
Residence Macon, Georgia
Alma mater Mercer University
Walter F. George School of Law
Occupation Writer, columnist, and radio host
Religion Presbyterian
Spouse(s) Christy Erickson
Website redstate.com

Erick Erickson (born June 3, 1975) is a politically conservative American blogger who hosts "Atlanta's Evening News with Erick Erickson" broadcast on 750 WSB (AM). He previously served as an editor-in-chief of the conservative political blog RedState[1] and was a political contributor for CNN.

Early life and career[edit]

Erickson was born in Jackson in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates when he was five, and returned to Jackson when he was fifteen.[2][3] Erickson attended the American School of Dubai, previously known as the Jumeirah American School.[4] His father worked for Conoco Oil[5] as an oil company production foreman.[6] Erickson received a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and a law degree from Mercer’s Walter F. George School of Law and is an inactive member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.[7]

Macon city council[edit]

Erickson was elected November 6, 2007 to a four-year term as a Republican member of the Macon, Georgia city council.[8] He resigned his office on February 16, 2011, partway through his first term to pursue a job with WSB radio in Atlanta;[9] The Macon Telegraph noted his poor attendance as a council member before his resignation.[10] While he was in office, Macon police officers considered forming a union. To counter the formation of the labor union, Erickson urged that the police department be dissolved.[11]

Political commentator[edit]

RedState[edit]

Erickson joined the conservative blog RedState in 2005.[12] He later served as its editor-in-chief. Erickson was also the CEO of RedState, Inc. While working at RedState, Erickson developed a reputation as one of the most powerful conservatives in the United States.[13]

The Daily Telegraph of London put Erickson on its "List of Most Influential US Conservatives", giving him a rank of 69th most influential in 2007 and 65th in 2010.[14] According[15] to the 2007 newspaper article: "Erickson epitomises the new power of the internet. A small-government fiscal and social conservative based in the south, he taps into and influences the Republican 'base' that the GOP’s 2008 candidates are courting."[16]

Erickson's "Morning Briefing" e-mails grew from 498 subscribers when they began in February 2009 to nearly 70,000 by January 2010. The Washington Post noted that "The ability of a single e-mail to shape a message illustrates the power of the conservative network." The article described Erickson as one of the American conservative movement's "key national players".[17]

Erickson wrote the "Confessions of a Political Junkie" blog and is former editor-in-chief of the "Peach Pundit" blog. His first book, Red State Uprising: How to Take Back America (co-authored with Lew Uhler), was published by Regnery Press in September 2010.[18][19]

In 2014, RedState was sold by RedState, Inc. to Salem Media Group.[15] The next year, Erickson announced he would be leaving his position at the site to focus on his radio show.[12]

Donald Trump[edit]

On August 7, 2015, Erickson rescinded an invitation to Donald Trump inviting him to a RedState gathering being held in Atlanta.[20] During a CNN interview after a Republican party debate hosted by Fox News Channel on August 6, 2015, Trump said that Fox News anchor and debate co-moderator Megyn Kelly “had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever” while questioning him during the debate. According to Erickson, Trump's remark "was a bridge too far” and that "blunt talkers and unprofessional politicians should not cross" a line of decency.[citation needed]

The following day, Trump released a statement stating that Erickson had a history of making controversial statements for which he’s had to apologize, and that he was an outsider who didn't fit into Erickson's agenda.[21]

Television[edit]

On March 16, 2010, CNN announced the hiring of Erickson as a political contributor to John King, USA. CNN Political Director Sam Feist called Erickson "a perfect fit for John King, USA, because not only is he an agenda-setter whose words are closely watched in Washington, but as a person who still lives in small-town America, Erick is in touch with the very people John hopes to reach.”[22] On his blog, Erickson stated, "CNN made an offer I couldn’t refuse," and added, "This is the path God put me on and it was totally unexpected, but I go where the good Lord leads."[23]

On January 29, 2013, Erickson left CNN and joined FOX News as a contributor.[24]

Radio[edit]

On January 10, 2011, Erickson began hosting a local radio show on WSB Radio 750/95.5. He replaced Michael Savage, eventually moving to the slot vacated by Herman Cain when he announced his 2012 presidential bid.

In 2014, Erickson was a guest-host of the national broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show on five occasions. In 2015, Erickson was the guest-host on January 2, January 29, March 13, June 11, July 3 and December 30.

Towards the end of Erickson's career at RedState he began to increase his focus on his radio show, which was owned by Cox Media Group.[15] He eventually quit the site to work on it full time.[12][15]

The Resurgent[edit]

In January 2016, Erickson launched the conservative website The Resurgent.[25]

Controversies[edit]

In April 2009, Erickson described retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter on his Twitter account as "the only goat f****** child molester to ever serve on the Supreme Court”. In an appearance on The Colbert Report, Erickson said the statement was "not my finest hour".[14]

In December 2015, Erickson posted a picture of a bullet ridden copy of The New York Times that he had shot at. That day's edition contained a front-page editorial in favor of gun control.[26][27]

Later that month, Erickson said that growing up his parents refused to serve "Asian food" on December 7, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.[28] Erickson's mother appeared to deny the claim to a journalist.[29] Erickson criticized the report, citing his mother's age.[30]

Notes[edit]

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  1. ^ Grim, Ryan (June 11, 2007). "BlogJam: Conservative-first RedState". Politico. Retrieved November 17, 2010. 
  2. ^ "Erickson joins the Best Political Team". CNN. 
  3. ^ "BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: Erick The Red (Stater)". National Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2012. 
  4. ^ "Erick-Woods Erickson". LinkedIn. Retrieved April 7, 2012. 
  5. ^ http://raisinganamericanpatriot.com/Erickson_PDF.pdf
  6. ^ Dewan, Shaila (11 May 2010). "CNN Pundit Draws Ire From All Sides". New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2012. 
  7. ^ "State Bar of Georgia – Public". Members.gabar.org. Retrieved October 8, 2012. 
  8. ^ Gaines, Jim (6 January 2011). "Erickson to quit Macon City Council for Atlanta gig". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2012. 
  9. ^ Holland, Joshua (July 26, 2011). "Meet Erick Erickson, the Toxic Idiot Guiding House Republicans on the Debt Ceiling Fight". AlterNet. Retrieved 2011-07-28. 
  10. ^ Gaines, Jim (17 February 2011). "Erickson steps down from Macon council". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2012. 
  11. ^ Tencer, Daniel. "Raw Story: GOP Politician, Blogger: Abolish Police Force if Cops Unionize". AlterNet. Retrieved 2011-07-28. 
  12. ^ a b c Gold, Hadas. "Erick Erickson to leave RedState". POLITICO. Retrieved 2015-12-10. 
  13. ^ "Is the Most Powerful Conservative in America Losing His Edge?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2015-12-10. 
  14. ^ a b Hamden, Toby, "The most influential US conservatives: 80-61", January 11, 2010, The Telegraph, retrieved May 30, 2010
  15. ^ a b c d "RedState Names Leon Wolf Managing Editor As Erick Erickson Prepares Exit". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-12-10. 
  16. ^ Hamden, Toby, "The most influential US conservatives 2007: 61-80", October 30, 2007, The Telegraph, retrieved May 30, 2010
  17. ^ Markon, Jerry, "New media help conservatives get their anti-Obama message out", February 1, 2010, Washington Post, retrieved May 30, 2010
  18. ^ Hanlon, Chip. Red State Uprising!. Red County. October 5, 2010. Accessed November 8, 2010.
  19. ^ "Catalog". regnery.com. Retrieved 14 October 2012. 
  20. ^ Jacobs, Ben (8 August 2015). "Donald Trump banned from RedState over menstruation jibe at Megyn Kelly". Guardian US. Retrieved 9 August 2015. 
  21. ^ Miller, Zeke J (8 August 2015). "Donald Trump Fires Back After Outrage Over Megyn Kelly Remarks". Time. Retrieved 9 August 2015. 
  22. ^ Martel, Francis, [1], March 16, 2010, "Mediaite.com", retrieved August 28, 2010
  23. ^ Erickson, Erick, [2], March 16, 2010, "RedState.com", retrieved August 28, 2010
  24. ^ [3], January 29, 2013, "TVNewser.com", retrieved January 29, 2013
  25. ^ "Inside the Beltway: The unconstitutionality index: 3,408 new federal regulations, 87 laws". The Washingtion Times. Retrieved 2016-01-05. 
  26. ^ Young, Matt (December 7, 2015). "This is how crazy Americans are". News.com.au. 
  27. ^ Pereira, Alyssa (December 7, 2015). "Conservative radio host fires bullets into the New York Times' gun control op-ed". San Francisco Chronicle. 
  28. ^ "Erick Erickson Marks Pearl Harbor Day With Anti-Asian Tweet". TPM. Retrieved 2015-12-10. 
  29. ^ Reeve, Elspeth (2015-12-09). "Erick Erickson’s own mom denies the family boycotted Asian food on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.". New Republic. Retrieved 2015-12-10. 
  30. ^ "Days after shooting New York Times, Erick Erickson blasts Gawker". Atlantic Journal Constitution. Retrieved 2015-12-10. 

External links[edit]

Authority control
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