scorecard11 Hot Republicans To Watch At CPAC, This Year's Biggest Conservative Summit
  1. Home
  2. Politics
  3. 11 Hot Republicans To Watch At CPAC, This Year's Biggest Conservative Summit

11 Hot Republicans To Watch At CPAC, This Year's Biggest Conservative Summit

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)

11 Hot Republicans To Watch At CPAC, This Year's Biggest Conservative Summit

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

Rubio's star has risen rapidly since his speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention propelled him into the national spotlight.

The darling of both Establishment Republicans and the Tea Party movement, Rubio has been at the forefront of the Republican Party's efforts to appeal to youth and Latino voters, taking the lead on immigration reform and frequently showing off his knowledge of '90s gangsta rap on social media. He even managed to turn his awkward water-lunge moment during the GOP's State of the Union response into a meme.

 With a 100 percent legislative rating from the ACU, Rubio has conservative bona fides, as well as charisma and a compelling personal story. Should he decide to run in 2016, Rubio would already be counted among the top contenders.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

The libertarian firebrand spoke at CPAC last year, but this week he'll be riding a wave of popular support after last week's 13-hour talking filibuster in defense of civil liberties.

The filibuster spectacle has elevated Paul up the GOP "food chain," revealing him to be an innovative leader within the party and a formidable contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. 

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)

The 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee was the first big-name speaker confirmed for CPAC this year, and he's on everybody's radar as a possible presidential contender in 2016. 

Paul — who's got an ACU lifetime score of 92 percent — reaffirmed his post as the party's leading voice on budgetary issues and priorities this week, unveiling his third House Budget, which once again calls for a major overhaul of Medicare and Social Security.

Al Cardenas, ACU Chairman, said in a statement, "from the day he was elected, Chairman Ryan has been a strong voice in Congress for pro-growth, free-market economic policies and has always been a CPAC favorite."

Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon

Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon

A self-described "champion for limited government," Shannon learned the political ropes as a field representative for Oklahoma congressmen J.C. Watts and Tom Cole as a field representative.

Now, at just 35, he is the youngest Speaker of the House in Oklahoma history, and the state's first African-American House Speaker since Reconstruction.

“We’re lowering taxes, resisting attempts to saddle future generations with debt, reforming the state’s antiquated workers compensation system and putting restraints on out-of-control spending and government growth,” Shannon recently told The McCarville Report.

New York State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis

New York State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis

Coming out of the deep blue state of New York, Malliotakis is the embodiment of the younger generation of conservatives that CPAC is trying to showcase this year.  

She's been labeled a "rising star" by the ACU, a sentiment echoed by the New York Conservative Party:

"Nicole Malliotakis has certainly earned the label of 'rising star' in the conservative movement," Chairman Mike Long told The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “Ms. Malliotakis is a dynamic and energetic presence both in her district and at the capitol, and she will make an excellent representative for both our party and our state at CPAC."

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford

Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford

Keeping with "the next generation" theme of the conference, this state representative is one of many younger speakers scheduled. After Marco Rubio headed to the U.S. Senate, the 33-year old picked up where he left off, taking over the helm of the Florida House of Representatives.

Since then, Weatherford has scored a 100 percent legislative rating from the American Conservative Union, who called him a "Conservative All Star." And he recently made headlines for criticizing Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott over his decision to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and doubled down even after it was revealed his family has benefited from the program, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

Utah Mayor Mia Love

Utah Mayor Mia Love

The 37-year old daughter of Haitian immigrants, Love lost a tight race for Congress last year. Had she won, she would have been the first black Republican women ever elected to Congress, according to The Washington Post.

Despite her loss, Love is still considered a rising star in the Republican Party, which suffers from a shortage of young, non-white, female leaders.

 

Connecticut State Senator Art Linares

Connecticut State Senator Art Linares

A successful businessman — he founded a solar-power company when he was only 19 — Linares took a break from business to volunteer in D.C. with Sen. Marco Rubio, gaining hands-on experience in politics. Upon his return to Connecticut, he won a tight race for state senate, according to MSNBC.

Now, at only 24-years old, Art Linares is one of the youngest members of the Connecticut state legislature, and has already proven himself to be one to watch in conservative circles.

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.)

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.)

Along with his wife and fellow conservative activist Rachel Campos-Duffy, this relative newcomer to GOP politics will host a "Real World" discussion of current events in an effort to win over younger conservatives at this year's CPAC. 

The panel's name is an homage to Duffy's beginnings on the MTV show "The Real World," where he and his wife first met. Duffy eventually went on to become District Attorney for Ashland County, Wisc., and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 with the backing of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Erick Erickson, the founder of popular conservative blog, Red State.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

Cruz will be the closing keynote at CPAC, joining a line of past speakers in that position that included Allen West, Glenn Beck, and Sarah Palin.

The freshman senator has already made a big name for himself, taking hard-line stances on issues that conservatives admire and liberals loathe. Those include an attack on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to defense secretary — which some said was 'over the line' — as well as standing with Rand Paul during his recent filibuster.

"In just a few months, Ted Cruz has become a strong, independent conservative voice in the Senate," ACU Chairman Al Cardenas said in a press release.

Advertisement