The National Conservatism Conference is attracting hundreds of attendees, and as most of them are under the age of 30, that is foreshadowing the future of the conservative movement, Leonardo Feldman, Newsmax's Florida correspondent, reports from the event, where Virginia's gubernatorial race was a popular topic of conversation.
"Virginia's gubernatorial election between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin is a nail-biter and attendees here at the National Conservative Conference are watching closely," Feldman commented on Newsmax's "National Report," while covering the event that closes Tuesday night.
"I'm actually living in Virginia, going to law school there, so I'm kind of in the middle of it all," one young woman told Feldman, noting that critical race theory is a "big pivot point."
"Youngkin pulled out a good stop there with campaigning on that the last two months, but I really think that it's just like the broader moral issues that our country is facing for just national conservatism," she added.
Another attendee commented that there is a "culture shock happening right now in Virginia, especially for Virginian parents, and people find themselves at odds with what is changing in terms of their daily lives. Because of that, they really have to ask themselves. Do they want this to continue and accelerate?"
The race is also showing that "anti-Trump people" are "coming to see the light a little bit" because of the "promulgation of critical race theory in school," another person attending the conference said.
Another topic of conversation is the video appearing to show President Joe Biden falling asleep after he closed his eyes for about 22 seconds while hearing a speech at the COP26 climate change conference in Scotland Monday.
"He's pretty old," an attendee at the conservative conference told Feldman. "Give him a break. It makes them look like, uh, you know, normal guy if you ask me compared to his past track record of racism, and just generally being a bad person."
Another young man told Feldman that when he was growing up, the president was to be considered as a role model, "but today I'm not sure the world sees America the same way."
The National Conservatism Conference is in its second year and features some of the biggest names in the movement, including keynote speeches from three sitting GOP senators, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley.
Rubio, of Florida, spoke by video on Monday, while Cruz, from Texas, spoke in person. Hawley, of Missouri, spoke Sunday night.
More than 80 speakers were scheduled to take the stage before the event wraps Tuesday night, including other keynote addresses from investor Peter Thiel and noted economist Glenn Loury, both of whom spoke Sunday.
"Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, who is campaigning to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate, is wrapping up the event with his keynote speech Tuesday night.
The annual conference is held to gather people who "understand that the past and future of conservatism are inextricably tied to the idea of the nation, to the principle of national independence, and to the revival of the unique national traditions that alone have the power to bind a people together and bring about their flourishing," according to the National Conservatism website.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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