Allen West Fires Up the Crowd at CPAC
2010 was a good election for conservatives. But 2012 needs to be even better.
That was the message Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., carried with him to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. Known for his fiery speeches, the controversial Republican freshman's CPAC address was no exception.
"A new battle looms large in 2012," West said. "And now it is no time to sit back on our laurels feeling good about what we did on 2010."
Faced with a tough reelection bid of his own in Florida's 22nd District, West recently announced that he is switching to the new 18th District. Democratic businessman Patrick Murphy, who was running against West in the 22nd, followed West to the new 18th. In his speech, West kept the focus on broader principles, and didn't mention his own contest.
"Our goal this time must be even bigger -- to keep the House, to take the Senate and occupy the White House with conservatives," he said.
West has been a prolific fundraiser, consistently pulling in quarterly hauls that would make many Senate candidates jealous. He had $2.7 million in the bank at the end of 2011. Impassioned addresses like the one he delivered at CPAC keep his national donor base fired up.
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