HOUSTON, Texas – GOP presidential hopeful, U.S. Ted Cruz, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott are expected to address the Harris County Republican Party’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner on the eve of the February 25th Presidential Debate. A crowd in excess of 1,200 is expected to pack the event, one of the largest of its kind in Texas.
Senator Cruz has confirmed he will be speaking at the event being held Wednesday night at the Bayou City Event Center on Houston’s south side. Houston is home for the conservative senator and is also the headquarters for his national campaign. Because of the timing in advance of the debate, it is possible other presidential candidates may speak as well. This is the third year in a row that the HCRP Lincoln-Reagan dinner has featured presidential hopefuls during the dinner. In 2015, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker delivered the keynote and in 2014, the honor went to Rand Paul.
Last week, the Harris County GOP announced that Governor Abbott would also be joining the stage to speak to the group. Governor Abbott also spoke at the 2015 dinner.
“I am excited about this year’s HCRP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner,” Harris County GOP Chairman Paul Simpson told Breitbart Texas. “We are once again winning elections for Republicans in the battleground of Harris County, the national epicenter for the Republican Party.”
The Lincoln-Reagan Dinner is the biggest fundraiser for the Harris County Republican Party and helps fund our extensive ground operations, satellite offices around the county, and our state of the art technology,” Simpson explained. “Having added over 150 new precinct chairs since 2014, our ground game is second to none.”
The crowd is expected to be in excess of 1,200 people. Because of the presence of presidential candidates and the proximity to the GOP debate the following night, a large press contingent is also expected to be on-hand. The room will be packed with Republican elected officials, party faithful and other grass roots leaders.
Also expected to address the packed room will be Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton, and former Houston mayoral candidate Bill King.
It is possible that other speakers, including other presidential candidates, will be added to the list.
More information about the dinner, and the directions for purchasing tickets to the event can be found on the Harris County GOP website.
Note: This article has been updated with additional information.
Bob Price is a senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.