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Freedom Conservative

2026 Freedom Conservatism
Annual Conference

May 20, 2026
8:30- 4:30 PM
Capital turnaround


Address:
700 M St SE, Washington, D.C.

-----------------AGENDA-----------------

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Welcome Coffee

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

What is Freedom Conservatism?

Avik Roy, Co-Founder & Chairman, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP)

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

Virtue and Liberty: A New Fusionism for the 21st Century

  • John Hood, President, John William Pope Foundation

  • Stephanie Slade, Senior Editor, Reason Magazine

  • Paul Mueller, Senior Research Fellow, American Institute for Economic Research (AIER)

  • Donald Bryson, CEO, John Locke Foundation

9:45 AM - 10:15 AM

How Can Freedom Conservatism Build a Winning Coalition?

  • Avik Roy, Co-Founder & Chairman, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP)

  • Daniel Garza, President, The LIBRE Initiative

  • Kate Carney, Deputy Director, More in Common

  • Zach Kessel, Politics Editor, Washington Free Beacon

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM

Fireside Chats 

Featuring:

Brian Hooks, Chairman & CEO, Stand Together

Guy Benson, Host, The Guy Benson Show; Contributor, Fox News

11:15 AM - 11:45 AM

What Has Conservatism Ever Conserved?

  • Iain Murray, Vice President, Competitive Enterprise Institute

  • Dominic Pino, Editorial Writer, The Washington Post

  • Tony Woodlief, Senior Executive Vice President, State Policy Network

  • Phil Magness, Senior Fellow, Independent Institute

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM

Networking Lunch

12:45 PM - 1:00 PM

Keynote

Featuring: Ramesh Ponnuru, Editor, National Review

1:00 PM  - 1:30 PM

Rags to Riches Over Redistribution: Uplifting the Forgotten American

  • Avik Roy, Co-Founder & Chairman, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP)

  • Adam Millsap, Senior Fellow, Stand Together Trust

  • Scott Winship, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

  • Les Ford, Senior Fellow, Alliance for Opportunity

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Faith, Family, Freedom: Strengthening America’s Culture from the Ground Up

  • Lathan Watts, Vice President of Public Affairs, Alliance Defending Freedom

  • Timothy Carney, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute / Senior Columnist, Washington Examiner

  • Carrie Sheffield, Author & Director, Independent Women's Forum

  • John Shelton, Vice President of Policy, Advancing American Freedom

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Fireside Chat 

Featuring: Representative Rich McCormick, GA-7 Member of Congress

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Turning Ideas Into Action: Strengthening FreeCon Infrastructure and Building the Next Generation of Leaders

  • Dan Rothschild, Director, Center for Civics, Education, and Opportunity, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute

  • Tim Chapman, President, Advancing American Freedom

  • Josh Archambault, President, Reformers Academy

  • Roger Ream, President & CEO, The Fund for American Studies (TFAS)

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

America at 250: The Founding Principles and the Future of American Conservatism

  • Kent Lassman, President & CEO, Competitive Enterprise Institute

  • Ben Klutsey, Executive Director, Mercatus Center

  • Beth Anne Mumford, Vice President of State Operations, Americans for Prosperity

  • Mark Strand, Former President, Congressional Institute

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Keynotes

Featuring:

  • Erick Erickson, Host, The Erick Erickson Show

  • ​​Senator Rand Paul, U.S. Senate

Why Attend

The 2026 Freedom Conservatism Conference is the flagship gathering of the initiative—bringing together Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles signatories, elected officials, policy scholars, journalists, and others from across the country committed to advancing the conservative movement.

  • Shape the future of freedom-oriented conservatism

  • Build relationships across institutions and generations

  • Engage directly with leading voices in policy and movement leadership

  • Learn how timeless conservative principles can help solve the most serious problems facing America today

Sparklers And Flag

About Freedom Conservatism

Freedom Conservatism brings together thousands of conservative leaders across the country who believe that individual liberty, free markets, commonsense values, and constitutional government are what have made the United States the freest, strongest, most virtuous, and most prosperous nation in history, and that they are essential to its future. 

​

Freedom Conservatism began as a conversation among conservative thought leaders committed to limited government, individual liberty, and civic pluralism at a time when many Americans, including some on the right, were questioning these values. It is grounded in a modern Statement of Principles intended to help conservatives apply the enduring ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to today’s challenges.

What We Do

Freedom Conservatism advances its mission through three core programs that unify leaders, equip policymakers, and extend influence across the conservative movement.

Through these programs, Freedom Conservatism delivers large-scale convenings, thought leadership, and talent development—all designed to strengthen the freedom-oriented movement as a whole.

01

Signatory Network

A national network of nearly 400 signatories including former elected officials, policy experts, academic scholars,  organization executives, faith leaders, writers, and more who publicly affirm the principles of Freedom Conservatism.

02

Congressional Policy Series

Issue-focused briefings and conversations connecting congressional staff, policy professionals, and DC-based thought leaders to Freedom Conservatism principles in the context of real-time national policy debates.

03

Congressional Leadership Development Series

Practical, skills-based professional development for rising leaders across the conservative movement designed to: 

  • Strengthen managerial, communication, and strategic policymaking skills

  • Support career growth and professional pathways

  • Equip principled young conservatives to become more effective leaders, inside and outside of government

What We Do

Freedom Conservatism advances its mission through three core programs that unify leaders, equip policymakers, and extend influence across the conservative movement.

​

1. Signatory Network

A national network of nearly 400 signatories including former elected officials, policy experts, academic scholars, organization executives, faith leaders, writers, and more who publicly affirm the principles of Freedom Conservatism.

2. Congressional Policy Series

Issue-focused briefings and conversations connecting congressional staff, policy professionals, and DC-based thought leaders to Freedom Conservatism principles in the context of real-time national policy debates.

3. Leadership Development Series

Practical, skills-based professional development that builds managerial, communication, and strategic policymaking capacity, supports career pathways, and prepares principled conservatives to lead effectively inside and outside of government.

Freedom Conservatism delivers large-scale convenings, thought leadership, and talent development—all designed to strengthen the freedom-oriented movement as a whole.

 

Join the Freedom Conservatism Network

​

Join the Freedom Conservatism Network

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