The agenda is set (despite a hiccup that initially left Donald Trump off the official agenda). The RedState Gathering this weekend in Atlanta will be all over the news following the debate Thursday evening on Fox News. That debate, and the earlier one at 5:00 p.m., will undoubtedly be huge news this weekend as the RedState event plays host to 10 different presidential candidates Friday and Saturday. Each candidate present has been given a 30 minute slot, dispersed throughout the weekend. Chris Christie will be the first candidate to speak on Friday morning and Donald Trump will close out the event on Saturday at the College Football Hall of Fame. Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush and Scott Walker will also be speaking.
The slate of presidential candidates roughly matches the “prime time” Fox News debate qualifiers – the current top 10 in the polls – but with Rand Paul and Ben Carson traded out for Jindal and Fiorina. By the time they both speak on Friday, perhaps their fate in the polls may have changed thanks to standout performances at the earlier debate Thursday. Either way, coming off of a huge amount of coverage for the “top 10”, expect Fiorina and Jindal to give their best attempt at barnburners on Friday to help ensure they’re in the top tier for the next debate on CNN in September.
Believe it or not, there are also people speaking at the RedState Gathering that are not presidential candidates. Friday morning will see an agenda full of Palmetto State politicos. Former South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, now president of the Heritage Foundation, and current South Carolina Senator Tim Scott will both be speaking in the morning on Friday and Governor Nikki Haley will have a 30 minute sit-down before lunch.
Georgia’s own Jason Pye, now with Freedom Works, and Benita Dodd from the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, will be talking about civil asset forfeiture. Mary Katherine Ham, another Georgia luminary (UGA journalism grad, 2002), and her co-author Guy Benson of Townhall will be talking about their book, End of Discussion.
Interestingly, just in the past week, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal pulled out of a welcoming keynote slot Friday morning due to a “scheduling conflict.” His office did not elaborate further. Whether Deal doesn’t see the point (he’s not running for public office anymore) or has a super-secret double secret probation economic development negotiation in the works may remain unknown. Erick Erickson, WSB radio host, Macon lawyer and RedState Empresario, was disappointed at the news. “This will be the first time the governor of the state of Georgia where we have the Gathering has not played a part,” Erickson told the AJC.
Not reported on much currently, but sure to shock hardcore RedState fans if true, is the news that Erickson himself may soon be leaving RedState. Erickson declined to confirm the report from Jim Galloway at the AJC, telling the Washington Free Beacon on Monday, “In four days I’m hosting ten presidential candidates in Atlanta for the RedState Gathering. This week is all I’m focused on.” The originator of RedState and Georgia’s own Peach Pundit will likely continue his hosting duties at WSB but his future remains unclear. As a popular pundit that places seemingly equal importance on fighting “the establishment”, such as Republican Kentucky senator and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as he does on fighting Democrats, the dynamics of the 2016 primary and Republican infighting will offer plenty of opportunity for Erickson to chime in, on whatever forum he ends up spending his time.
