Republican social conservatives to speak at Iowa event

Three former Republican presidential candidates are scheduled to speak at a gathering of social conservatives on Saturday in suburban Des Moines.

The Family Leader, an Iowa-based group led by conservative Bob Vander Plaats, announced Monday that Texas Gov. Rick Perry will speak at its leadership summit in Waukee.

Perry is expected to join a lineup that includes former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 with backing from conservatives, and Santorum did the same earlier this year. Perry lost and dropped his presidential campaign, while Santorum was eventually defeated by Mitt Romney.

The Family Leader says the goal of the summit is "to educate and mobilize the conservative base regarding specific issues that impact the family."