For Chicago-area conservatives, the hottest happening in town this weekend likely isn't the Chicago Blues Festival or even the ever-popular Ribfest.
Rather, it's the second annual CPAC Chicago, with its packed lineup of former GOP presidential candidates and other conservative lawmakers, that will likely drive Republican voters to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
Sponsored by the American Conservative Union, the Conservative Political Action Conference's one-day conference aims to "take the fight for the future of America directly to President Barack Obama’s backyard."
Among the lineup of speakers at the first of two CPAC regional meetups are U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum; GOP governors including Chris Christie and John Kasich; plus Illinois' own U.S. Reps. Joe Walsh and Randy Hultgren.
(Scroll down to check out more of the conference's speaker lineup.)
According to the Associated Press, possible running mates for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney are also expected to address the crowd at the conference.
Among the topics speakers are slated to address, according to the conference's program [PDF], include "President Obama’s Fast and Furious Disregard for Rule of Law," "Voter Fraud: Obama’s Ties to Election Fraud" and "Waking Goliath: The Midwest Stands Up to Union Special Interests."
