Western Conservative Summit

The Western Conservative Summit is an annual conference of influential U.S. conservatives, held in Denver, Colorado since 2010. It is organized by the Centennial Institute and Colorado Christian University. It has grown each year, and now includes a Young Conservatives Leadership Conference, which is led by radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Past events

2011

In 2011, Herman Cain was the winner of the presidential nomination straw poll.[1] Syndicated columnist and talk show host Dennis Prager was among the speakers.[2]

2012

In 2012, speakers included Glenn Beck and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Over 1,500 people attended.[3]

2013

The 2013 Western Conservative Summit was themed "Freedom's New Day",[4] and took place July 26–28. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was the keynote speaker, calling for optimism within the Republican Party and increased activity in reaching voters.

Also among the speakers were Mia Love, mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah; former U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong, president of Colorado Christian University; Texas Senator Ted Cruz; former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; Jonah Goldberg, a conservative columnist and author; and former Florida Representative Allen West.[5] About 2,000 people attended the four-day summit.[6]

Cruz won a straw poll for the Republican presidential nominee, with 225 votes (45% of votes cast).[7][8] Cruz' speech included a call to "abolish" the Internal Revenue Service, and urged attendees to explain the Republican Party's message more clearly in the future.[9]

2014

The 2014 Western Conservative summit was themed "America at its Best" and took place in Denver Colorado July 18–20. The 666 voters at the conference favored Ben Carson (22%), Ted Cruz (13%) and Sarah Palin (12%) in a straw poll for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.[10]

2015

The theme of the 2015 Western Conservative Summit is "Your Story: Freedom Alive". The summit drew criticism when it barred the participation of the Colorado Log Cabin Republicans, a Republican organization that advocates for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Centennial Institute head John Andrews explained that their "worldview and policy agenda are fundamentally at odds with what Colorado Christian University stands for" and that the summit additionally has a policy of not allowing vendors who advocate for higher taxes or about climate change.[11][12]

References
  1. Herman Cain Wins Western Conservative Summit Straw Poll; Rick Perry Second
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj9qvBwOeMA
  3. 2012 Western Conservative Summit
  4. Western Conservative Homepage 2013 Homepage
  5. Patane, Matthew (2013-07-27). "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker opens Western Conservative Summit". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  6. Richardson, Valerie (July 27, 2013). "GOP stars head to Western Conservative Summit, debate strategy for success". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  7. Patane, Matthew (July 28, 2013). "Western Conservative Summit: Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wins straw poll". The Denver Post (blog). Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  8. Ferner, Matt (2013-07-29). "Ted Cruz Crushes Competition In 2016 Presidential Straw Poll At Conservative Summit". "The Huffington Post". Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  9. Patane, Matthew (2013-07-27). "Ted Cruz calls for end of IRS at Western Conservative Summit". Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  10. Bunch, Joey. The Denver Post, July 20, 2014, "Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin top Western Conservative Summit straw poll for '16".
  11. Bartels, Lynn (April 15, 2015). "Gay-rights Republicans slam Western Conservative Summit over disinvite". The Denver Post.
  12. Bartels, Lynn (April 15, 2015). "Western Conservative Summit disinvites GOP gay group". The Denver Post.
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