In what is being viewed as a potential preview to the coming GOP presidential debates later this year, Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul are set to appear at a Koch event entitled “American Recovery Policy Forum” on Sunday.
The three potential presidential contenders are all on the more conservative end of the spectrum among the possible candidates and are expected to be on the short list of those vying for Koch campaign money.
A spokesman for the event’s sponsoring group, Freedom Partners, explained:
“Our members care deeply about the future of our nation and we’re honored to host some of today’s most influential and respected leaders in shaping public policy. We hope that this panel will give each participant the opportunity to lay out their vision for a more free and prosperous society.”
Rubio and Paul have already sparred on the subject of foreign policy concerning the loosening of diplomatic sanctions on Cuba. And it is expected that Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, may fall on the side of Rubio when pressed on the subject.
The RNC’s officially sanctioned nine primary debates won’t begin until August of this year, but the positioning by candidates at events in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere is already well underway.
In May, the RNC will hold it’s annual Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Oklahoma City where most – if not all – of the eventual GOP candidates will have confirmed for attendance in the coming weeks. The event will hold a straw poll which promises to be the first official party-sanctioned test of the candidates’ influence over GOP voters.
