Heather Digby Parton

Heather Digby Parton writes the long-running political blog Digby’s Hullabaloo and serves as a thrice-weekly contributing columnist for Salon, where she focuses on how today’s Republican Party fits into post-World War II conservatism. 

After a career in the film business, Parton began writing daily political analysis, punditry, random musings and humor on her website in 2002 — just as political blogging and independent media exploded onto the national scene. As one of the early innovators of the new form, she caught the attention of well-known voices, including New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who called her “one of the best writers you’ll ever encounter, on or off the internet.” Parton’s work has influenced many younger public intellectuals such as the historian Rick Perlstein, who acknowledged her as one of his most important intellectual partners in his seminal work “Nixonland.” 

The recipient of the Hillman Prize for Opinion Analysis Journalism and the Paul Wellstone Leadership Award, Parton has been featured in profiles in the Los Angeles  Times and multiple books. She has written for the New York Times, The Nation and New York Magazine, among other publications, and she regularly appears on progressive podcasts and radio shows offering commentary and analysis on political issues and personalities. Parton remains a prominent voice of progressive thought, and her columns are often shared with one simple line: “What Digby said.” Her sharp commentary can be found daily on Bluesky.