Atlanta becomes the center of the American political universe this week when 10 Republican presidential hopefuls travel to Georgia for the RedState Gathering at the Intercontinental Buckhead on Peachtree Road.
RedState, the brainchild of AM750 and 95.5 FM WSB host Erick Erickson, is a three-day convention of top GOP elected officials and 700 activists and comes on the heels of the first major debate of the 2016 presidential campaign. Tickets for the gathering are sold out.
It's not just presidential candidates speaking. A number of governors and other Republican luminaries will appear, all sandwiched around panels on topics such as "The Power of Twitter" and civil asset forfeiture. See the full agenda here.
Friday’s schedule of presidential candidates:
10:30 a.m.: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
11:30 a.m.: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry
1:30 p.m.: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal
3:30 p.m.: Former CEO Carly Fiorina
4:30 p.m. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida
Saturday’s schedule of presidential candidates:
9 a.m.: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
11:30 a.m.: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas
1:30 p.m.: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
4:30 p.m.: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
Business mogul Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at the RedState Tailgate, which runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta.
Where to people-watch:
Bourbon Bar inside the Intercontinental Buckhead
Onyx at the Grand Hyatt
Prime at Lenox Square mall
Whiskey Blue at the W Buckhead
Traffic alert:
Buckhead’s already notorious traffic will likely be worse Friday as the presidential candidates, their entourages, 150 credentialed media and 700 activists make their way to the Intercontinental, which is at 3315 Peachtree Road, near Lenox Square where Peachtree intersects with Highland Drive.
Saturday could see similar congestion at the hotel and, at night, downtown near the College Football Hall of Fame.
How to keep up:
Follow the RedState Gathering action live by adding the AJC on snapchat (username: AJCnews) and keep an eye on our Twitter (@AJC and @GAPoliticsNews) for links to our Periscope feeds and updates throughout the weekend. We’ll be bringing you speech highlights, one-on-one interviews with candidates, commentary from our political reporters and, of course, scenes from the event — including Saturday night’s tailgate with Trump.
The AJC will provide blanket coverage through the weekend on our Political Insider blog.
The official hashtag for the event is #RSG15.
The entire event will livestream at RedState.com.
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