Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has been scheduled to speak at a Florida based Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on September 23rd.
The American Conservative Union (ACU), which is now chaired by Al Cardenas, will increasingly focus on bringing prominent conservatives, like Huntsman, to local communities outside of the annually hosted CPAC in Washington D.C.
The Florida CPAC will be the first of many regional CPAC’s to come.
“Jon Huntsman built a strong record of cutting taxes, enacting pro-growth economic policies – from corralling government spending to balancing the state’s budget – and making Utah a leading state for job creation,” said Cardenas.
Cardenas continued, “He’s been a defender of liberty and signed strong pro-life legislation restricting abortions. We look forward to Governor Huntsman’s address at our inaugural regional CPAC.”
Huntsman will join other Republican presidential contenders that are set to address the Florida CPAC including former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, businessman and radio host Herman Cain, Former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, and Michigan Representative Thaddeus McCotter.
The Florida CPAC will be modeled after the national one in that it will host speakers and lectures, providing many networking opportunities for conservative activists. It is also a place for presidential primary contenders to showcase their communication talents to a wider conservative audience.
In addition, the Florida CPAC will be instrumental in allowing Republican presidential candidates to showcase themselves to Florida’s voters in the lead up to Florida’s “Presidency V” Straw Poll that will take place in September, which will be another national gauge of how strong the candidates’ organizations are.
The “Presidency V” Straw Poll will be where Huntsman will try to gain some back some momentum in light of recent stories that have detailed his campaign organization’s internal turmoil that may have political observers writing off his candidacy if he does not show some signs of traction.
Thus, “Presidency V” will be crucial for Huntsman, who is also the first candidate to base his national campaign headquarters in Florida. Huntsman’s wife, Mary Kaye, is originally from the Orlando area.
