Eagle Forum

Eagle Forum
Name	Eagle Forum
Formation	1972
Founder	Phyllis Schlafly
Type	Conservative interest group
Headquarters	St. Louis, Missouri
Region served	United States
Leader title	President
Leader name	()

Eagle Forum is an American conservative interest group founded in the early 1970s that engages in public policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and conservative social activism. The organization has been involved in debates over constitutional interpretation, family policy, judicial nominations, and federal legislation, often aligning with social conservative leaders and institutions. Its activities have intersected with prominent political figures, national movements, and legal disputes throughout late 20th and early 21st century American politics.

History

The organization was established during a period of social and political realignment involving figures associated with the New Right (United States), Moral Majority, Barry Goldwater, Phyllis Schlafly (founder), and conservative opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment. Early activities connected the group to networks around the Heritage Foundation, American Conservative Union, American Legislative Exchange Council, and state-level conservative coalitions in Missouri, California, Texas, and Florida. In the 1970s and 1980s the group participated in campaigns related to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), critiques of federalism debates manifested in disputes in the United States Congress, and mobilization around high-profile judicial confirmations in the United States Senate. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the organization engaged with issues emerging from the Religious Right, such as responses to rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States, interactions with conservative think tanks like the Claremont Institute and Hoover Institution, and coordination with activists linked to the Tea Party movement and the Republican Party.

Organization and Leadership

The group has been led and shaped by several figures tied to conservative networks, including its founder, supporters among activists formerly allied with Barry Goldwater and personnel who worked with national conservative organizations. Leadership transitions involved interactions with state directors in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Arizona and coordination with activists associated with the Christian Coalition of America, Club for Growth, and campaign operatives who have worked on congressional campaigns in districts like TX-06 and IL-11. The organizational structure includes state chapters, volunteer councils, policy committees, and a national board that has been involved in outreach to activists connected to institutions such as Regnery Publishing and advocacy campaigns alongside groups like Susan B. Anthony List and Family Research Council.

Political Activities and Advocacy

The organization's advocacy spans lobbying before committees of the United States Congress, grassroots mobilization in state legislatures such as those of Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina, and public campaigns during presidential elections involving figures like Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, and various Republican presidential hopefuls. It has filed amicus briefs in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, participated in coalition work with groups active in the Pro-Life movement, and organized events that attracted speakers from the National Rifle Association, Tea Party Patriots, and conservative media outlets including Fox News, Breitbart News, and National Review. The group has also engaged in voter guides aimed at influencing local and statewide races, interfaced with campaigns run by consultants tied to Karl Rove and Ed Rollins, and coordinated letter-writing and phone-banking drives during contentious legislative fights such as those over tax policy debated in the United States Senate Finance Committee.

Policy Positions

Policy stances have emphasized opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), advocacy for restrictions on abortion in line with positions of the Pro-Life movement, support for originalist approaches favored by conservatives in debates over appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States and lower federal courts, and skepticism toward international treaties promoted by institutions such as the United Nations. The group has opposed federal initiatives associated with Affordable Care Act debates and supported measures to limit federal regulatory reach similar to proposals advanced by the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity. On education-related policy, leaders have promoted school choice policies aligned with organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council and voiced opposition to curricular reforms promoted by agencies such as the Department of Education. Positions on immigration have echoed themes common to conservative policy networks, and the group has weighed in on family law issues debated in state supreme courts and legislatures.

Funding and Affiliations

Funding has come from individual donors, grassroots fundraising, and cooperation with conservative foundations and networks. The organization has accepted support from donors and entities operating within donor networks that also fund groups such as the Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth, and various state-level conservative policy organizations. It has engaged in collaborative activities, coalitions, and events with conservative think tanks including the Hudson Institute, Cato Institute (in issue-specific settings), and advocacy groups like Alliance Defending Freedom and Concerned Women for America. Relationships with political action committees and campaign coalitions have sometimes involved consultants and vendors who also serve organizations associated with the Republican National Committee and conservative electoral campaigns.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have challenged the group on grounds raised by civil rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center, and progressive policy centers including the Center for American Progress. Controversies include disputes over statements and campaign materials during high-profile confirmation fights for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, clashes with feminist organizations like the National Organization for Women, and legal scrutiny related to internal governance and ballot-access strategies in state elections. Media coverage from outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and investigative reporting by ProPublica has documented alliances and communications with other conservative entities during contentious policy fights. Debates over the group's role in culture-war issues have connected it to controversies involving commentators from Fox News and Talk radio hosts, and prompted responses from scholars at institutions like Harvard Kennedy School and Georgetown University who study political mobilization.

Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States