Former Vice President Dick Cheney will follow in President Donald Trump’s footsteps as the Sarasota County Republican Party’s “Statesman of the Year,” at an event held this fall.
Cheney and his daughter, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, will be awarded as “Statesman of the Year” and “Stateswoman of the Year” Oct. 7 at the Westin in Sarasota.
Liz Cheney, on the other hand, has had a progressively more active role in the recent world of national politics. Cheney began her freshman term as a U.S. Congresswoman earlier this year, representing Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, which was formerly represented by her father.
Though Dick Cheney has largely remained out of the spotlight since leaving office in 2009, party chairman Joe Gruters said the Cheneys’ contributions to Republican values have never wavered, serving as an example for other GOP voters.
“They are providing multigenerational leadership to our nation and represent the traditional, conservative values our party stands for," Gruters said.
The “Statesman of the Year” event began as a local awards ceremony but quickly gathered national attention as award winners’ profiles heightened.
The award has gone to several prominent Republicans throughout the years, from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, former Misssissippi Gov. Haley Barbour, to Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity.
Perhaps the most recognizable recipient of the award is President Donald Trump, who has taken the title twice in the last five years.
Trump received the honor in 2012 and in 2015 before he shook up the scene on the national political stage, sealing the GOP nomination for president in 2016.
Last year, the party awarded Gov. Rick Scott as the “Statesman of the Year.”
Attendance routinely hits over 1,000 for the event, reaching nearly 1,600 attendees when Trump won the award in 2015.
“For a town like Sarasota that is a impressive line up of award winners,” Gruters wrote.
The statesman event is one of the Sarasota GOP’s biggest fundraising events of the year.
Single tickets range from $75-$500 and some party members will have the chance to dine with the former Vice President and the Congresswoman after the award ceremony.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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