Conservatives plan meeting

Michael J. Mishak

Wednesday, March 7, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

Democrats who thought they would have the Silver State to themselves this election cycle are mistaken.

As Nevada Republicans work out the details of their new early presidential caucus, conservatives are preparing to descend on Reno this fall for the Conservative Leadership Conference.

Organizers hope the four-day event, modeled on the Washington-based Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, will draw the Republican presidential contenders to Reno, in addition to shining a spotlight on blogging and its role in growing the national conservative movement.

CPAC has been an important gathering for conservatives and Republican leaders for more than 25 years. In presidential election years, it offers an early gauge of public opinion among a group that holds considerable influence over the Republican nominating process.

While social issues often loom large at the annual Washington event, the Reno conference will have a distinctive Western flavor, said Nevada activist Chuck Muth, whose Citizen Outreach group is the event's primary sponsor.

"We're not going to be talking about abortion or gay marriage," said Muth, a former executive director of the American Conservative Union, the group that hosts the CPAC conference. "We're trying to promote the Barry Goldwater side of the movement rather than the Jerry Falwell side ."

The Reno conference is in keeping with Nevada's libertarian spirit and signals another step in the evolution of the state's political culture.

Among the expected topics are: illegal immigration, education, government spending, Internet regulation and labor unions.

Grover Norquist, the conservative Washington activist and head of Americans for Tax Reform, headlines the guest speakers.

Muth said he also hopes to attract nationally syndicated conservative commentators, including Michelle Malkin and Hugh Hewitt, and wants to snag former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the keynote speaker.

Muth, who attended CPAC last week , said conference attendees were less than thrilled with the Republican field of presidential contenders. Many conservatives, he said, are holding out hope for a Gingrich candidacy.

"The rank-and-file Republicans still remember that Newt is the one that brought us out of the wilderness," Muth said.

Gingrich hasn't said whether he will run. He finished fourth in an informal poll at CPAC, topping Arizona Sen. John McCain.