Conservatives from throughout the nation are gathering for the 2026 version of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), one of many greatest gatherings of right-wing figures and influencers.
Normally held within the Washington, DC, space, the convention is that this yr set for Grapevine, Texas, within the Dallas-Fort Worth space.
Below are a number of the greatest questions looming over this yr’s version.
CPAC 2025 principally served as a moment of triumph for President Donald Trump.
Four years after his political profession appeared completed following the January 6 Capitol riot, there was Trump driving excessive only a month into his second presidential time period, pursuing maybe essentially the most brazen political agenda in current White House historical past.
Elon Musk was on stage with a toy chainsaw, vowing to hack away at the federal workforce (metaphorically). And after a couple of years of the GOP at least flirting with a much less MAGA course, it regarded just like the occasion was inexorably red-pilled now.
But lots can occur in a yr, it seems.
Trump’s ballot numbers have taken a nosedive, imperiling the GOP’s hopes of holding each the House and Senate within the 2026 midterms — and Trump’s agenda together with them. And whereas his base remains to be very a lot in his nook, Trump has pursued quite a few causes, such because the Iran warfare, which can be clearly testing that unity. We’ll often see lawmakers stand up to him in ways in which have been beforehand unthinkable.
One of the big questions is how a lot the attendees at CPAC select to reckon with all that — to debate tips on how to proper the ship and tips on how to orient the occasion shifting ahead — versus attempting to keep away from tough points.
We’re nonetheless attempting to determine how the conservative motion feels in regards to the warfare. CPAC ought to give us some indication of how actual the divides may be on the correct wing.
While the standard knowledge is that MAGA is united behind the warfare, the image of Trump’s base is extra nuanced than that.
Self-proclaimed MAGA supporters overwhelmingly say they help the warfare, however as many as 1 in 5 Republicans and 1 in 4 Trump 2024 voters don’t. Many of the remainder are solely lukewarm on the warfare. (Trump’s own vice president and director of national intelligence have conspicuously prevented full endorsements, and one other Trump administration official recently resigned over it.) Plenty of distinguished conservative influencers are explicitly in opposition to it.
The checklist of audio system consists of exiled Iranian opposition chief and Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. It consists of distinguished supporters of the warfare like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former United Nations Ambassador Mark Wallace, who heads a gaggle known as United Against Nuclear Iran. But it additionally options skeptics of the warfare akin to former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
At least to date, the audio system checklist doesn’t embrace a number of the most distinguished anti-Iran warfare influencers akin to Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly – the categories who would possibly actually attempt to marshal opposition to Trump’s warfare.
But it will even be telling if the gathering simply avoids big exhibits of help for the warfare.
How do Rubio and Vance stack up two years earlier than the 2028 primaries?
Related to the above problem is how the occasion begins to orient itself forward of 2028.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second time period, Vice President JD Vance has been seen as Trump’s inheritor obvious, and he’s acquired the 2028 ballot numbers to again that up.
But the Iran warfare and Trump’s rising interventionist streak have pushed Vance considerably to the again seat. And all of the whereas, the fortunes of Trump’s extra hawkish Secretary of State Marco Rubio have gave the impression to be on the rise.
We shouldn’t count on the conservative motion to start out choosing sides two years earlier than the primary 2028 primaries. But gatherings like this — together with the CPAC straw ballot — can ship indicators about essentially the most passionate parts of the bottom.
If CPAC warms to Rubio, who hasn’t usually been terribly MAGA-friendly, that would sign extra of a battle for the way forward for the motion than we would have in any other case anticipated.
(Neither man is so far slated to attend.)
It’s been greater than three weeks since Trump mentioned he would intervene within the Texas GOP Senate runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, in hopes of ending the brutal contest. GOP leaders backing Cornyn see him as extra electable in a key race in opposition to Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico.
But the politics of that were never easy, provided that MAGA is way more on board with Paxton, and Trump nonetheless hasn’t adopted by on his promise.
The venue this weekend within the Dallas-Fort Worth space ought to push this crucial selection for the GOP base again to the forefront.
Paxton is because of communicate. In reality, he’s acquired a distinguished slot because the featured speaker at CPAC’s Ronald Reagan Dinner on Friday night time.
CPAC additionally invited Cornyn to speak, however Cornyn has declined, citing the truth that CPAC has endorsed Paxton.
If CPAC turns right into a rallying second for Paxton, that would make it much more tough for Senate GOP leaders to get a Trump endorsement of Cornyn. And Paxton profitable the May 26 runoff is clearly what Democrats would like, given his historical past of private and official scandals.
In current years, the correct has demonstrated a knack for nominating problematic Senate candidates who imperil — and sometimes lose — very winnable races. But the occasion is flirting with yet one more main danger.
The Iran warfare is a a lot larger focus proper now, however don’t sleep on the Epstein recordsdata.
Much of the GOP base seems to have heeded Trump’s call for everyone to move on, however that is the type of crowd the place this problem as soon as loomed very giant.
There are additionally some key audio system with proximity to the difficulty. Those embrace Bannon, who had a cozy relationship with Epstein in his later years however has prevented a big backlash on the correct so far.
They additionally embrace Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has been the general public face of the DOJ’s launch of the recordsdata, which hasn’t satisfied many Americans. And they embrace House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, whose committee has pursued subpoenas associated to the Epstein recordsdata.
There are causes to imagine this occasion’s affect may be on the wane.
The checklist of audio system doesn’t precisely learn like a who’s who of the conservative proper. And the agenda doesn’t embrace Trump, Vance or many different high-profile Trump administration officers like Rubio.
(Those who’re slated to seem embrace Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, border czar Tom Homan and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz.)
Assuming Trump doesn’t add a last-minute look, it will be the primary time he has skipped the occasion since he pulled out of it in 2016, citing a need to remain on the marketing campaign path.
But that was at a time when CPAC was significantly much less Trumpy. Since then, the occasion has served as a possibility for him to rally the bottom and present a lot of it was in his nook.