Secretive Right-Wing Group Set to Size Up 2016 Presidential Hopefuls in Tysons

Tysons will be ground zero next month for ultra-conservatives looking to get behind a candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

Like a group of insider beauty contest judges hoping to stack the deck, members of the Council for National Policy, a secretive conservative group, plan to meet next month in Tysons to look over presidential hopefuls so they can pick one to back in the 2016 presidential election, according to National Journal.

The bland-sounding Council for National Policy is made up of dues-paying members who pay $2,500 per year or reportedly more if they’re part of the inner circle.

The group is for limited government, traditional values and a strong national defense, according to its Web site. Members reportedly want to quickly get behind a conservative favorite to counter any establishment GOP favorite who might appeal to those outside the conservative base.

The group plans to meet May 15-16 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, to get to know the candidates. Each candidate will have the stage for one hour to wow the assembled members, plus another 30 minutes to mingle, National Journal points out.

More than a dozen GOP declared and possible candidates were busy meeting this past weekend with Republican activists in New Hampshire. The Wall Street Journal points out that Jeb Bush, Sens. Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham are saying they need to appeal to a larger group of voters, beyond the Republican party’s base, in order to win the White House. On the other side of the spectrum, WSJ points out, are Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal “who say the party’s nominee needs to be a dedicated conservative who can mobilize the religious right to turn out in droves in 2016.”

Conservatives outside the Council for National Policy are also heading to Tysons next month. Conservative Action Project will be meeting at the hotel the day before, on May 14, the magazine reports.