The Conservative Political Action Conference returns to the Washington, D.C., area for the first time since 2020 and will feature several prominent conservative politicians and figures.
CPAC 2023 started on Wednesday and will run through Saturday, with speeches and panels scheduled throughout the four-day conference. Here are some of the notable people set to take the stage.
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Jordan serves as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He is scheduled to speak at 10:35 a.m. on Thursday.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Cruz serves as the ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee. He was a presidential candidate in 2016 but does not appear likely to run in 2024. Cruz is set to speak at 12:25 p.m. on Thursday.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH)
Vance won his seat in 2022, defeating Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), and serves on the Senate Banking and Commerce committees. He is set to speak at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)
Scott won his seat in 2018 and is up for reelection in 2024. He unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for the position of Senate minority leader following the 2022 elections. Scott is scheduled to speak at 2:55 p.m. on Thursday.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Pompeo served as a congressman from Kansas from 2011 until 2017, when he became director of the CIA and later secretary of state under President Donald Trump. He is widely seen as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 but has not stated whether he will run. Pompeo is scheduled to speak at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Greene serves on the House Homeland Security and Oversight committees, in addition to being on the House select committee on the coronavirus pandemic. She is set to speak at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines
Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky, has been an outspoken advocate against biological men competing in women's sports after having to compete against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022. She is set to speak at 10:10 a.m. on Friday.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
Gaetz serves on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees. He was known for being one of the lead "never Kevin" congressmen who held up the House speaker vote in January. Gaetz is expected to speak at 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY)
Comer serves as the chairman of the House Oversight Committee. Under his leadership, the Oversight Committee is currently looking into the Justice Department's investigations, including into President Joe Biden's son Hunter. Comer also serves on the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Agriculture Committee. He is expected to speak 11:05 a.m. Friday.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL)
Donalds serves on the House Oversight, Budget, and Small Business committees. He is scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley
Haley is one of three GOP presidential candidates speaking at CPAC. She served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and later as ambassador to the United Nations under Trump from 2017 until 2018. Haley declared her candidacy for president last month. She is expected to speak at 12:45 p.m. on Friday.
Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy is the second Republican presidential candidate speaking at CPAC. He is an entrepreneur and author known for the books Woke, Inc. and Nation of Victims. Ramaswamy is scheduled to speak at 3:40 p.m. on Friday.
Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake
Lake was the 2022 Republican nominee for governor in Arizona but lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs in a tight race. She is set to speak at the Ronald Reagan Dinner at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
Gabbard served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 as a Democrat but announced she was leaving the party in 2022 to go independent. She is scheduled to speak at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
Bolsonaro served as president of Brazil from 2019 until the end of 2022. He lost his reelection bid to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and left the country for the United States in December 2022. He is scheduled to speak at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Former President Donald Trump
Trump is the third GOP presidential candidate speaking at CPAC and will be the final speaker of the conference. He served as president from 2017 until 2021, losing his reelection bid to President Joe Biden in 2020. Trump announced in November 2022 he would be seeking a second term as president in 2024. He is scheduled to speak at 5:25 p.m. on Saturday.
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Other notable speakers include Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Kennedy, Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Jason Smith (R-MO), and commentator Candace Owens.
Notable conservative figures not attending the conference include Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former Vice President Mike Pence. DeSantis last attended CPAC in 2022, and Pence last attended the conference in 2020.