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Campaign Almanac: DeSantis, Haley to join Iowa’s Ashley Hinson for BBQ Bash fundraiser
Also, The Family Leadership Summit lineup announced
Two high-profile Republican presidential contenders will join Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s third annual BBQ Bash political fundraiser in Cedar Rapids.
Hinson, of Marion, announced Tuesday that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former governor of South Carolina, will speak at her gathering Aug. 6 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway & Expo Center.
Hinson invited all GOP presidential candidates to join her at her annual BBQ Bash in the leadoff caucus state for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Additional speakers and details will be announced in coming weeks, according to Hinson’s campaign.
"Iowans take our first in the nation status, and our responsibility to vet presidential candidates, seriously,“ Hinson said in a statement. ”I’m looking forward to having these great candidates join us at Ashley’s BBQ Bash to meet with Iowans and share their vision to get America back on track. All eyes are on Iowa.“
Hinson, a former state lawmaker and former KCRG-TV news anchor, is serving her second term in the U.S. House, winning re-election by eight percentage points against Democratic former state lawmaker Liz Mathis of Hiawatha. Hinson unseated first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer in 2020 and outperforming former President Donald Trump in the swing district.
Hinson joined Republican former Vice President Mike Pence in February during a stop in Cedar Rapids where he denounced Linn-Mar’s often-maligned gender support policy the school district adopted last year. She also joined South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott in April for a school choice roundtable discussion with home-school parents in Marion.
Scott, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, headlined Hinson’s BBQ Bash last year.
Family Leader announces speakers for annual summit
At least six Republican presidential contenders will speak at The Family Leadership Summit next month.
The annual conference hosted by the conservative evangelical organization The Family Leader will be held July 14 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. The summit regularly hosts presidential candidates seeking to win support of the state’s evangelical voters.
The organization has announced the list of confirmed speakers. They are former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Former President Donald Trump is also invited, along with President Joe Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-shot Democratic challenger.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson will moderate interviews with the candidates, which the organization said will be designed to “educate and equip Americans to discern a positive vision for America’s future.”
“At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, it’s vital that we look beyond politics as usual to the principles and the vision that will move our country forward,” said Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats in a statement. “This year’s summit provides a unique opportunity to learn and discern, as Americans prepare to choose well in the upcoming 2024 election and beyond."
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
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