Conservative Political Action Conference

annual political conference attended by conservatives in the United States

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; /ˈspæk/ SEE-pak) is an annual political conference in National Harbor, Maryland attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU). More than 100 other organizations contribute in various ways.

Number of CPAC attendees over time

In 2011, ACU took CPAC on the road with its first Regional CPAC in Orlando, Florida. Since then ACU has hosted regional CPACs in Chicago, Denver, St. Louis, and San Diego.

The conference was founded in 1973 by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives.[1][2] Over the years it has grown to thousands of attendees annually. Roughly half of those in attendance in the past few years have been college-aged.[3][4][5]

Speakers have included Ronald Reagan,[6][7][8] George W. Bush,[9] Dick Cheney,[10] Pat Buchanan,[11] Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich,[9] Sarah Palin, Ron Paul,[12] Mitt Romney,[9] Tony Snow,[9] Glenn Beck,[13] Rush Limbaugh,[14] Ann Coulter,[10] Allen West,[15] Michele Bachmann,[16] and other conservative public figures. Before, during, and after his presidency, Ronald Reagan spoke at CPAC a total of 12 times.[17] In 2017, President Donald Trump spoke at the event.

References change

  1. Diamond, Sara (1995) [1995]. Roads to dominion: right-wing movements and political power in the United States (2 ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press. pp. 128, 138, 146, 198, 210, 212, 285, 289, 327. ISBN 0-89862-862-8.
  2. Wilcox, Derk Arend (2000). The right guide: a guide to conservative, free-market, and right-of-center organizations. United States of America: Economics America, Inc. p. 43. ISBN 9780914169062.
  3. "Ron Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll". Firstread.msnbc.msn.com. 2010-02-21. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  4. Matthew Albright, Nietzsche Is Dead: Youth attendance at CPAC swells but disappoints Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, 21 February 2010. Accessed 2011-02-13.
  5. Wooldridge, Adrian (2004). The right nation: conservative power in America. New York, NY: The Penguin Post. p. 172. ISBN 1-59420-020-3.
  6. Kilpatrick, James J. (1977-02-10). "Tired of the cold". Bangor Daily News. Washington Star Syndicate. p. 12. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  7. Evans, M. Stanton (1979-02-24). "CPAC: Barometer of the Right". The Hour. Norwalk, Conn. Los Angeles Times Syndicate. p. 4. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  8. "Reagan Gives Conservatives A Pep Talk". 1986-01-31. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Turnbull, Jessica (2008-02-14). "Groups travel to conference". The Daily Collegian. State College, Pa. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Goldberg, Michelle (2003-02-04). "Shock troops for Bush". Salon. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  11. Walters, Robert (1974-01-28). "Buchanan: A Dissenting View". St. Petersburg Times. Washington Star-News Service. p. 3–A. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  12. Gillman, Todd J. (2011-02-11). "Texas Rep. Ron Paul gets cheers at conservative conference, remains mum about Senate, presidential ambitions". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  13. Parsons, Christi (2010-02-21). "Glenn Beck to Republican Party: Repent". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  14. "Rush Limbaugh calls on conservatives to take back nation". CNN.com. 2009-02-28. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  15. Montopoli, Brian (2011-02-09). "Allen West Gets CPAC Keynote Slot". CBSNews.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-11. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  16. Murray, Mark. "The 'exceptional' debate". NBCNews.com. 2010-02-22. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  17. Schneider, Gregory L. (1999) [1999]. "Revival and Collapse". Cadres for conservatism: young Americans for freedom and the rise of the Contemporary Right. New York, NY: New York University Press. p. 163. ISBN 0-8147-8108-X.

Other websites change