CPAC – the Conservative Political Action Conference – is kind of a big deal. It’s been held every February for the last few years in the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. It’s a huge venue, thousands of people attend, and most of the major conservative media groups are represented (including RedState!) and there are vendors selling everything from cellular phone plans to T-shirts.
It’s a fun time. It’s one of the few events that can get me out of Alaska.
CPAC 2025 is no exception. Aside from the once-a-year chance to see friends and colleagues, there is just a lot going on. Some of it is cool, some thought-provoking, and some of it is… a little odd.
CPAC generally runs through what is essentially a long weekend. My wife and I arrived at the venue late on Wednesday, exhausted, got our credentials, had a quick bite with some friends, and called it a night.
When we walked out of the elevator the next morning, we were greeted by the sight of President George Washington and his wife Martha strolling slowly through the lobby. Now, big conservative political conferences are not the kind of place one would normally go to see cosplay, but the couple portraying the first president and his wife, I have to say, nailed it.
While there are plenty of jacket-and-tie types in the crowd, you’ll also see plenty of blue jeans. CPAC doesn’t seem to have a dress code that I’m aware of. It’s an eclectic gathering, from New Yorkers to Alabamans, from Floridians to Alaskans. CPAC Korea was noticeably represented this year – yes, there is a CPAC Korea, as well as a CPAC Japan, and CPAC Hungary, along with several other nations. You’ll see people from across the economic spectrum, too. And, you'll see costumes of all kinds - a Lady Liberty, a copy of AOC's Met Gala dress without the ironic "Tax the Rich," and much more.
I’m not a fan of cities. I’m not a fan of crowds. Cities are too much… of everything. Too much noise, too much car and bus exhaust, too many people. In a crowded venue like CPAC, a rural guy like me can’t even walk properly; you take one big step, two little ones, a sidestep, then one big step again. You just can’t get going. Too many people. Too much!
But you know what? It’s worth it.
CPAC, if you’re able to make the trip, is worth the journey and worth the price of admission. There are not only some high-powered people speaking, which is interesting – as any old chronic concert-goer will tell you, there’s something different about seeing someone live.
See Related: An Enthusiastic JD Vance Takes the Stage at CPAC 2025, Touts the Victories of the New Administration
But there are vast numbers of alternative media around as well, from all across the fruited plain, and that can be interesting too, and that may be the best part. Bloggers and podcasters, cable TV programmers, advocates and activists, and even some scruffy old guys from rural Alaska. The legacy media these days mostly draw their personnel from journalism programs, and many of them have zero experience in the private sector. Many of the alternative media types come from various backgrounds from healthcare to manufacturing to construction to who knows what. We’re people who got fed up with the legacy media, with editorializing masquerading as news, so we got involved. And that, honestly, is one of the best things about a gathering like CPAC.
There’s a lot of us at CPAC. You should come to talk to us.
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