Ted Cruz and Chris Christie will be there. So will Mike Huckabee, Scott Walker, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Ben Carson and a number of other Republicans who have hinted that they may run for president in 2016.
These conservatives are making the journey to Iowa — the state that will hold the first nominating contests of 2016 — to speak to activists at the Iowa Freedom Summit, the first so-called “cattle call” of 2015. The event will last all day Saturday.
Noticeably absent from the summit: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose views on immigration differ dramatically with those of Iowa Rep. Steve King, a sponsor of the event. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are not currently listed as speakers either.
The summit, also sponsored by the conservative organization Citizens United, is billing itself as a kick-off of sorts to the caucuses.
“With the Iowa caucuses only a year away, the summit will be a launch point for conservative ideas as we head towards 2016,” the organizers said.
Others set to address the crowd include former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, former ambassador John Bolton, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, businessman Donald Trump and Utah Sen. Mike Lee.
The event is free to the public, but organizers said they’ve given out all the tickets for admission in the venue.
The Daily Caller will be covering the event in Des Moines. Check back on Saturday for dispatches.