Speaker lineup, date announced for fifth Basque Fry political event in Carson Valley

The Morning in Nevada PAC announced Monday that its speaker lineup for the 5th Annual Basque Fry in Gardnerville on Sept. 14, 2019 will include Mercedes Schlapp and Matt Schlapp.

Mercedes Schlapp served as the White House Director of Strategic Communications in the Trump administration, is now an official with the Trump re-election campaign, and has been a contributor and columnist for several media outlets, including Fox News, U.S. News & World Report and The Washington Times. Matt Schlapp is the Chairman of the American Conservative Union, appears frequently on Fox News, and was deputy assistant and political director during President George W. Bush’s first term.

“We are excited to announce that Mercedes and Matt Schlapp will be featured speakers at the 5th Annual Basque Fry,” said Adam Laxalt, president of Morning in Nevada PAC and former Nevada Attorney General. “To be joined by these two leaders who have been at the center of America’s political battles — and who have fought so relentlessly to promote conservative principles and ideals — will be a real honor.

“Now more than ever, in the face of the radical left’s unyielding attacks on our values, we look forward to their insights, their analysis, and their words of hope and inspiration.”

The Basque Fry has been incorporated into the inaugural CPAC West, which Morning in Nevada PAC will co-host along with the American Conservative Union (ACU). The two-day event, inspired by ACU’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), will include the Basque Fry on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Time at Corley Ranch in Gardnerville, as well as a conference the previous day in Reno featuring a slate of speakers and policy-focused panels. Morning in Nevada is also a co-host of the Basque Fry.

Over the past four years, the Basque Fry has become the single-largest annual political event in Nevada and the can’t-miss event for Republicans and conservatives, attracting thousands of attendees from all across the Silver State.

Special guests in previous years have included President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Dr. Ben Carson, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, former Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr., former New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, U.S. Congressman Devin Nunes, and decorated U.S. Navy Seal veteran and “The Lone Survivor” Marcus Luttrell, among others.

The event also celebrates Basque heritage, which is especially rich in Nevada. Perhaps the most famous descendant of Basque sheepherders in state history is also one of its most accomplished and respected political figures — the late Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt, Adam Laxalt’s grandfather. Senator Laxalt, who was also a board member at the American Conservative Union, regularly hosted Basque lamb fry events throughout his career, in Nevada and in Washington, D.C. The Basque Fry therefore continues both a Laxalt tradition and a Nevada tradition.

In addition to its star-studded speaker lineup, the Basque Fry also features delicious Basque food, family-friendly entertainment, and opportunities for voters to meet with Nevada’s elected officials. Tickets for the event are available online at http://www.morninginnevadapac.org

Further details on CPAC West, including additional speakers for the Sept. 14 Basque Fry and participants in the September 13 conference, will be announced in the coming days and weeks.

Morning in Nevada PAC was created in 2015 by friends and supporters of then-Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. The PAC’s mission is to identify, educate, motivate and activate citizens in Nevada to advance conservative causes and elect conservative candidates.