Phyllis Schlafly Launches Monthly Newsletter, Building Conservative Communications Network

After losing a divisive fight for the presidency of the National Federation of Republican Women (for which she had served as first vice president since 1965), Phyllis Schlafly begins publishing The Phyllis Schlafly Report, a monthly newsletter intended to mobilize her supporters and inform them about political issues and candidates. The newsletter becomes one of the longest-running personal political commentaries in American history, published continuously from August 1967 to September 2016—a remarkable 49-year run. At its peak, the Report reaches 30,000 subscribers with essays on politics, education, national defense, feminism, the judiciary, and immigration. Schlafly uses the newsletter to build an army of volunteers active in the political process nationwide, keeping them informed and alerted about conservative priorities. The Report serves as the primary communications infrastructure for coordinating grassroots conservative activism, particularly during the ERA fight in the 1970s and early 1980s. Through these activities, Schlafly taps into the anxieties of traditional-minded Middle Americans concerned about changing social and cultural mores. The newsletter model demonstrates how sustained, direct communication with activists can build lasting political infrastructure independent of party organizations. After Schlafly’s death in 2016, the newsletter is renamed the Eagle Forum Report at her request, continuing her legacy of conservative organizing and commentary.