Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Heritage Foundation Event Draws Powerful Presidential Hopefuls

On September 18 the lobbying arm of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation held its Heritage Action Presidential Forum at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, drawing the majority of the top Republican presidential contenders for 2016.

The Heritage Action for America super-PAC said it was hosting 10 of the 16 major candidates at the forum: Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, and Bobby Jindal.  Donald Trump's campaign, however, canceled his appearance there due to what they say was a "business transaction."

The forum also featured South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (who heads the Heritage Foundation), and Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham.

The big story coming out of the event was that Carly Fiorina received a positive reception.  Some reported that Ted Cruz AND Carly Fiorina "ruled" the event.

The New York Times describes Heritage Action as the "political arm of Heritage Foundation, founded in 1973 and transformed in recent years from a staid policy incubator to an organizing engine fueled by the Tea Party movement."

Here is a recent Think Tank Watch post on Carly Fiorina's favorite think tanks.