Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West will be on the national stage in February when he will be a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.
Sponsored by the American Conservative Union, which has former Republican Party of Florida chief Al Cardenas as the chairman, CPAC bills itself as Americas largest gathering of conservative activists and conservative leaders. While the event has been held in Washington for almost four decades, in recent months the ACU has reached out to conservatives at the state level, holding its first CPAC state event in Orlando in September. The 2012 meeting of CPAC will be held from Thursday, Feb. 9, through Saturday, Feb. 11.
First elected to Congress in the 2010 election cycle, West is no stranger to CPAC. He attended CPAC in 2009 and spoke at the 2010 meeting. West offered the keynote address at the 2011 meeting in February.
West represents parts of South Florida, with his district running up the Atlantic Coast in parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. The district could change as the Legislature addresses redistricting in 2012, grappling with how to redraw the lines and adding two new congressional seats to the Sunshine State. Two major Democratic candidates -- former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, who led her party in the Florida House of Representatives, and businessman Patrick Murphy -- have filed to run against West in 2012.
Congressman Allen West is a true patriot and a great friend of the American Conservative Union, Cardenas said in a statement released on Friday. In his short time in Congress, Allen West has proved himself a principled, conservative leader, fighting for more freedom, at home and abroad, and working to limit the growth of government to ensure American families keep more of their hard-earned dollars.
While the ACU has yet to release the agenda and a list of invited speakers for the 2012 CPAC event, the iconic conservative organization, which was launched in 1964, has chosen a theme -- We Still Hold These Truths. Much of the 2012 CPAC event is expected to focus on the presidential election.
The American Conservative Union looks forward to hosting CPAC next February as the premier venue to highlight conservative leaders, principles and policies in 2012, added Cardenas.
West, the first African-American Republican to represent Florida in Congress since Reconstruction, has become a favorite of conservatives at the national level. Unsuccessful attempts were launched to lure West into the battle for the Republican presidential nomination and some conservative pundits and activists have called for his being added to the GOP ticket as the vice presidential candidate.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
