CPAC Straw Poll
| Conservative Political Action Conference | |
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The official logo for CPAC 2017
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| Dates | February/March (dates vary) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | National Harbor, Maryland, U.S. |
| Inaugurated | 1973 |
| Most recent | February 22–25, 2017 |
| Organized by | American Conservative Union |
| Website | |
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The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; /ˈsiːpæk/ SEE-pak) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU).
In 2011, ACU took CPAC on the road with its first Regional CPAC in Orlando, Florida. Since then ACU has hosted regional CPACs in Chicago, Denver, St. Louis, and San Diego. Political front runners take the stage at this convention.
The conference was founded in 1973 by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom as a small gathering of dedicated conservatives. Ronald Reagan gave the inaugural keynote speech at CPAC in 1974. Like the conference's speakers today, the presidential hopeful used it to share his vision for the country--"A Shining City Upon A Hill," words borrowed from John Winthrop. The Ronald Reagan Award was given to the Tea Party movement, which marked the first time it was ever given to a group instead of an individual.
In 2014, CPAC extended an invitation to the American Atheists, which was immediately withdrawn on the same day due to controversial statements.
Richard Spencer arrived at CPAC on February 23, 2017 as a symbol of the alt-right efforts to conform with conservatives, and was subsequently ejected. Numerous news organizations described the incident as well as a conversation between Steve Bannon and Matt Schlapp as a possible sign of allying the alt-right to mainstream conservatism in the United States, and raised questions on whether the alt-right would possibly become the dominant viewpoint in the Republican Party.
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