DALLAS — CPAC and former President Donald Trump are returning to Dallas this week for the second consecutive year, along with other big-name speakers from the Republican Party.
The Conservative Political Action Conference runs Thursday through Sunday at the Hilton Anatole.
The American Conservative Union has held CPAC every year since 1974. The event has drawn as many as 10,000 attendees and is an important stop for Republican Presidential hopefuls.
Last year’s event in Dallas drew around 4,000 people.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Awake, not woke.” Conservative politicians, activists and commentators from the U.S., and some figures from abroad, will rally their base voters ahead of a midterm election in which their party is expected to make big gains.
CPAC has hosted events in Orlando, Florida, and Dallas since COVID-19 policies barring large gatherings led it to abandon the Washington area.
Trump will headline the event Saturday night, and several Texas conservatives are scheduled to speak. Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Sen. Ted Cruz for Friday morning, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the final speech Friday evening.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who missed last year’s convention, will speak Thursday on a panel titled, “Texas: The Start of the Big Red Wave.”
The conference has drawn criticism for inviting far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who will speak Thursday. The leader said last week he doesn’t want Europeans mixing with people from outside the continent, leading one of his aides to resign after calling his comments “pure Nazi text.”
Other high-profile speakers include Fox News commentator Sean Hannity, radio host Glenn Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is the keynote speaker for Saturday night’s Cattleman’s Ball, a fundraiser with a $375 minimum ticket price. Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress last week for refusing to cooperate with investigations into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
The full schedule for the convention is available on CPAC’s website.
General admission tickets for the conference cost $295 each, or $50 for students under 24. Single-day tickets are $98.
Portions of the convention will be livestreamed on CPAC’s website.
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