>> for those who have never watched cpac or attended what is it and what happens? >> ahe good question it has changed over the last number of years it is a gathering of conservative lawmakers and presidents andnd thought makers it used to be a broader tent conservatives of all stripes coming to the event moderate establishment person with though right fringe it is a mixture of people coming into this conference at last a few days a f few years ago it was in florida following the rise of governor desantis this year in

washington dc at the national harbor but the past couple of years it is a trump dominated event that has catered more to ultraconservatives of the party you see a lot of moderates or establishment figures coming into cpac and less you consider former president trump to be the establishment so it is our conference paying homage to the former president. >> today through saturday covering the cpac this year taking place at the gaylord hotel just a couple miles down from the potomac river and you mentioned donald trump speaking when is that headline set quick. >> he normally speaks on saturday. he has been the closer so he is the highlight of cpac

especially going into 2024 that is so important because this is the conservative grassroots so normally a lot of potential contenders for president gathering trying to court the grassroots donors and influencers and you have seen nikki haley who will be speaking at the event and mike pompeo is considered to be wondering about the presidential announcement but some of the heat on —- the headlines run desantis, mike pence, tim scott the other potential 24 figures not in attendanceot. >> why not run desantis quick. >> good question a lot of it is this is a trump dominated event and trump territory although he is cut from the same cloth he is vying for that same group of voters and it is trump territory.

so he has to be careful about how he navigates the waters trying to appeal to those trump voters many have voted for him and multiple elections while at the same time not poking the bear. and thenn to become the main target even though he hasn't announced his running for president yet he is being very careful and continuing the book tour to build his own national profile. >> what are we doing for the club for growth quick. >> it is a political action committee to bolster those candidates so he will be recording those members of the press and bringing his case to them going into 2024 other candidates doing that as well.

florida has become the center of the republican universe which is great for ron desantis because he's part of the reason why especially following the coronavirus policies but also the center of republican university because donald trump is at the southern end occupied by the 2024 contenderstalk about the trump headline who else is coming out for this quick.

>> nikki haley and mike pompeo being 24 announced contender we also have the former gubernatorial candidate from arizona. that's important because shese is said to be considering a senate run in arizona next year that something to keep an eye out for also a number of house lawmakers like marsha blackburn for example. and also even some foreign figures coming in like the former president of brazil it has become international. >> the chairman of cpac family

is very accessible to the media to talk about the speakers and the agenda but we don't know what that will look like this year because there has been potential misconduct allegations we know his wife and former trump administration official will be out front hosting a panel with the opening events but even if he if he is out front the media will ask him about those legal issues distracting from the event. >> they are vehemently denying these allegations very much pushingg back will move forward

but right now vehemently aku bakr al-baghdadi pushing back and we should see the government soon. >> and then they pick up the "washington post" the front page on this topic beyond the sex assault suit over culture and leadership that they may see over at the hotel the hill newspaper joins us for democrats independence and republicans out of louisville kentucky good morning. >> i grew up in a republican household in the sixties and seventies. the problem i got with the old-style conservatives like william f buckley but the

reason whybe is in a socialist society two types of people. i believe in individuality but it seems to me the republican party there are two types of people the true conservative and everybody else that's a violent act like attacking the capital gets the office. >> that is a really good point. a lot ofhe people looking what the republican party has evolved to to have that similar observation so with the 2020 presidential election results. someone like liz cheney. she is a conservative for small government and pro-life and antiabortion and she is no moderate. and the same thing with the governor of georgia however

what differentiates them for example is to be vocal about the fact about president biden with the presidency in 2020. and the issue is an using carry leg as an example they don't use him as a legitimate president and they use that as a litmus test to determine who is conservative enough or republican enough and it has nothing to do with how republican or conservative you are. it is free market principles. it depends on who you talk to. >> the cpac straw poll takes place every year and

essentially is a pulse on the grassroots with the 2024 contender and then it has taken the members of cpac. >> and then as a column by a recent poll with the college survey of registered us voters every 24 through 25th and the question of republican primary voters and who they pick for the gop nomination trump is 55 percent ron desantis 25 percent and mike pence 8 percent nikki haley at 5 percent larry hogan and chris sununu at 1 percent in the latest poll. one of the many surveys out

there will be another one early sunday? >> yes at the conclusion of the event. >> independent line good morning. >> thank you for having me. >>caller: thank you for all of the americans who welcomed me. i am trying very hard to pay back but my question is related to that i am very tired because they see division in the political environment so why do we have this division? >> so why don't we have some people the democrats are unique but we have the people

work together quick. >> congratulations on your citizenship that is very exciting. however to your question i think there has been so many books or articles written on this about polarization in the d united states and it could be traced back to a number of different factors. >> and how congressional districts are drawn. >> and they have become more homogeneous that to see congressional districts become really really blue or red and then to see that trickle up in the house of representatives. that's more polarized in the senate even though there are

those issues. others say that trump has to deal with a lot of this but i think is a symptom of polarization in this country. a y primaries and our use the republicans as an example. you see republicans primary voters there -- they like it the most conservative members of their party, far right links to represent them in general elections and didn't work for them democrats elected more mainstream candidates when

state senator was elected to be in the primary to run for governor as the republican candidate running against shapiro who is much more of a moderate so you are seeing the's primary voters galvanizing around these polarizing issues i don't think that helps the situation. >> it is a two hour show today normally a three-hour show to have plenty of calls but before the house the democratic line go ahead. >>caller: good morning. i'm a resident of maryland when i look at the cpac situation those that want to take over the i country and turn

it around i can understand why real conservatives are not coming. and we won't put up with this foolishness. host: how do you expect the issue of january 6 to play out during cpac quick. >> i don't know if january at six itself will be front and center withal those results with that election security candidate site carry leg and i don't believe with the gubernatorial race from 2022 but has made comments to win the race int november.

and they will talk about that and then maybe january 6 does come up with the republican attendees like nikki haley who did speak out against january 6 after happen against donald trump. so you may have some more of the right wings and then to have a plethora of attendees so maybe you'll hear some speakers bring it up with nikki haley or mike pompeo those are republican primary voters and then to say it's awful what happened. >> what is your reading within the response since the nikki haley announcement? >> she had a very good

announcement all of us covering for her even democrats said she has a very good rollout but within the republican party there is some excitement i think a lot of republican women have expressed excitement she is running she's always been a popular figure within the party in the situation on cnn think she was not in her prime when she was just 51 years old is certainly in a way is taken offensively and to bolster the profile in no way but there is excitement and she has seen an uptick. but like the emerson college poll said. she is not breaking double digits it is still a trump and santos raise. >> independent good morning you are on with julia

manchester. >> has an independent in 2016 i voted for trump but i did not in 2020. nor will i vote for any conspiracy theorist. they are driving independence away but that doesn't say that i will vote democratic because i may m or may not vote or go for a third-party candidate but republicans need to wake up i'm a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. and the sooner they get off with a tourist event and all of the other conspiracy theories democrats do it to don't get me wrong there's a lot of things the democrats do

i don't like but they have to stop with this extremist views coming up with the stories that people invent i don't know where they get it from. i really don't. >> what you w are describing was the frustration a lot of independents have been 2022 understand you will not vote democratically but there were a lot of democratic voters and in swing states like arizona, pennsylvania and georgiae who whether it was about january 6 and donald trump sword of the democratic side of the ticket or not voting at all.

i touch on this before there is a divide between brushing on —- russian republicans that now michigan recently elected the state party chair who is the election denier however there are other republicans who are expressing frustration with that. because although that might work in a republican primary it will not work in a general elections what you are describing is to the detriment complaining directly into the 2022 primary inside democrats actually financially boosting to the extreme republican primary candidates because they predicted that a general election and would fail against democratic candidates it was a risk but it worked out. >> given the number of the

true social post that i have noticed that the election was stolen? how pervasive is that belief among the people that will be attending is that political quick. >> it's hard to say with those attendees this year i have not been to national harbor yet so i cannot get a pulse on that i would imagine is a good number of attendees that would believe that are at least believe they are our irregularities with electiond system here in the united states and call for obviously

trump is a big a lot of these have ael connection to him starting in 2015 and 2016 and they are willing to believe even if it is just false and we have seen the detriment to

focusing on crime rates and even the situation with migrants coming over thed southern border. >> you will plan to be at cpac this year? thank you can see her reporting at the hill.com and follow her on twitter thank you for your time this morning.