Latest news with #SilverElephantGala
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
SC GOP picks speaker for annual Silver Elephant gala. Here's who it is
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who flipped that state red in 2021 and has been as seen a potential presidential candidate, will be the keynote speaker at this year's Silver Elephant Gala. 'His bold, conservative leadership in Virginia has inspired Republicans across the country,' SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement. He's shown that strong principles and smart policy win elections — and more importantly, deliver results.' The black-tie optional event is one of the premier speaking slots in South Carolina, a state that holds the First in the South Republican presidential primary. It's an opportunity for a potential presidential hopeful to test their message in front of Republican donors and activists. Previous speakers have included President Donald Trump in 2023, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2021 and former Vice President Mike Pence in 2008. The gala is scheduled for Aug. 9 at the Columbia Convention Center.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SC GOP taps Virginia governor to headline Silver Elephant Gala fundraiser
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, pictured here during the 2025 legislative session, will be the featured speaker of the South Carolina GOP's annual fundraising dinner on Aug. 9, 2025. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will keynote the South Carolina GOP's annual fundraising gala, the state Republican Party announced Tuesday. Youngkin's election in November 2021 gave Republicans nationwide a morale boost after Democrats won the presidency while gaining control of the U.S. Senate a year earlier. In his first bid for office, he defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe to replace Gov. Ralph Northam, putting a Republican at the helm for the first time in more than a decade. Virigina's constitution does not allow governors to hold consecutive terms. Youngkin focused on education and tapped into parents' anger over pandemic policies and classroom lessons in his upset win over McAuliffe, also the former Democratic National Committee chairman and chief fundraiser for the campaigns of Bill and Hillary Clinton. The winning 'parents matter' message helped fuel a GOP focus on parents' rights. Before resigning to run for governor, Youngkin spent 25 years at The Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C., headquartered private-equity firm , where he became co-CEO in 2018. Youngkin used his personal wealth to fund a large portion of his campaign, spending $20 million of his own money, according to The Associated Press. His term expires in January 2026. 'His bold, conservative leadership in Virginia has inspired Republicans across the country,' SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement. 'He's shown that strong principles and smart policy win elections — and more importantly, deliver results.' The black-tie optional event, known as the Silver Elephant Gala, is the SC GOP's biggest fundraiser of the year. Past speakers include President Donald Trump in 2023 amid his bid for a second term. More than 1,300 people came to hear Trump speak, the largest crowd in the dinner's history, McKissick previously told the SC Daily Gazette. Other past headliners include former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2021 and former Vice President Mike Pence in 2008, when he was an Indiana congressman. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was the speaker in 2020, before Trump's former White House press secretary announced her bid for governor. Then-Gov. Ronald Reagan was the speaker in 1967 for the inaugural Silver Elephant. Other former presidents to give the keynote address include Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. The event is scheduled for Aug. 9 in Columbia. It comes a little over two months after South Carolina Democrats' own high-dollar fundraiser, the Blue Palmetto Dinner, which was headlined by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Attendees also heard from 2024 vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
