A majority of the GOP candidates will be addressing the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference this weekend in Washington, DC. The list includes Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. Apparently other possible candidates such as Donald Trump will also be speaking. Newt Gingrich will not attend but instead has provided a video message to the conference.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition aims to become the 21st century equivalenet of the Christian Coalition hoping to mobilize “values voters” into a force in 2012.
Report from the USA Today:
WASHINGTON — As Republican presidential contenders head here this weekend to address conservative leaders gathered for the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference, activists say some hopefuls will have a lot more to prove than others.
The event, hosted by coalition Chairman Ralph Reed, will bring together some of the most influential conservative activists in the country — an important constituency for those seeking the GOP nomination.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the current platforms of the candidates will be just as important as their past records. “They have to understand the interconnectedness between the fiscal issues that are at the forefront of the debate and the underlying social issues that contribute to our fiscal problems,” he said.
Most of the major Republican contenders are scheduled to speak at the two-day event, billed as a “conference and strategy briefing” for conservatives.
Learn more about the conference at their website.
