The Michigan Republican Party announced this afternoon that former House speaker Newt Gingrich will kick off the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference with a keynote address on Friday, September 23, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
Given Gingrich’s recent penchant for making wild statements about himself and President Obama, you can bet the media will be tuning in with considerable interest. But the GOP, of course, gives no hint that Gingrich could be a risky choice.
“We are excited to have speaker Newt Gingrich kick off our conference and address our grassroots leaders on the major issues facing our country,” said Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak. “A frequent visitor to Mackinac, speaker Gingrich understands the significance of the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference and the influence it has on the national debate of issues.”
Gingrich appeared ready to launch a presidential campaign last month, starting with an exploratory committee, but the effort suffered from fits and starts. He is expected to be in the 2012 race when the Mackinac conference is held in September, perhaps as one of the front-runners.
Too bad Gingrich isn’t speaking this weekend, while a government shutdown is looming in Washington. It would be fascinating to hear him talk in detail about the differences between the shutdown he engineered in 1995 and the political landscape in Congress today.
Gingrich, the author of 23 books, is chairman of the Gingrich Group, a consulting and communications firm with offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He also serves as general chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future, a grassroots political organization.
The Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference often serves as a big stage in the lead-up to presidential election years. The gathering began in 1953 and has hosted GOP heavyweights such as President George H.W. Bush; Senators John McCain, Sam Brownback, and Fred Thompson; Mayor Rudy Giuliani; Governors Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney; and Congressman Eric Cantor.
This year’s conference takes place September 23-25, and registration details and hotel information will be released soon.
