The 2014 election year campaigns are underway and the primary will be held on June 3 – just six weeks from now. The primary run-off will be six week later, on July 15. The Alabama Republican Party will host its 2014 Summer Dinner on Friday, June 20, which is right between the primary and run-off elections. This year’s Summer Dinner will be held in Birmingham at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center.
The keynote speaker for the Summer Dinner will be Governor Mike Pence of Indiana. Governor Pence served in the United States Congress for 12 years and was elected governor in 2012. During his tenure as a United States Representative, he served as Chairman of the House Republican Conference, which is the third highest Republican leadership position in the House.
Governor Pence is a rising star within the Republican Party and many encouraged him to run for President in 2012, but he declined and ran for Governor instead. Now, with just two years as Governor, Pence has already established himself as a proven Chief Executive and the political pundits are talking again about him as a candidate for President in 2016. With experience in D.C, and now as Governor, he would be a very formidable candidate.
>>>As governor, Pence has continued to stand up for the conservative principles that he was well known for during his 12 years in Congress. Since taking office, Pence has placed a significant emphasis on improving Indiana’s economy, creating jobs and improving education.
Governor Pence recently signed into law a package of tax cuts for businesses that he championed and that will lead to Indiana having one of the nation’s lowest corporate tax rates. “We make it easier for companies to expand and create jobs here in Indiana,” stated Pence. It sounds like he may have taken a page out of Governor Bentley’s playbook here in Alabama.
There are many similarities between Indiana and Alabama. One such issue that both states have wrestled with is the Common Core State Standards Initiative (Common Core), but the outcome was different. Indiana recently made national news as Governor Pence signed legislation to make Indiana the first state to remove Common Core in favor of creating their own set of standards. Similar legislation was introduced in Alabama, but did not come up for a vote in either the House or Senate.
Governor Pence just returned from an economic development trip to Germany to strengthen Indiana’s relationship with current German companies with a presence in Indiana, as well as promote his state to other companies. While abroad, he deviated from his job seeking tour to call on President Obama to resurrect a planned missile-defense shield for Eastern Europe that Obama scrapped in 2009.
“With Russian aggression on the rise,” Pence stated, “clearly conciliatory diplomacy has failed. While sanctions are of some value, in the interest of our alliance, I believe the United States and the European Union must respond with deeds more than words to strengthen our economic and strategic defenses.”
Conservative Alabamians will find much in common with Governor Pence and they only need to search for Governor Mike Pence on the internet to learn much more about the keynote speaker for the ALGOP Summer Dinner scheduled for June 20 in Birmingham.
This year’s Summer Dinner is one of the most important political events taking place in the 2014 election cycle in Alabama. It will provide a great opportunity for Republicans across the state to come together to talk about the just concluded primary and upcoming run-off and general election. Republican candidates for all statewide offices will be in attendance. This will be a great opportunity to visit with them personally. Learn more about the Summer Dinner here.