Former Ambassador John Bolton greets a supporter at the Inaugural Basque Fry at Corley Ranch last year. Boloton is scheduled to speak at this year's event.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas will join the roster of speakers at the second annual Basque Fry on Aug. 20, the Morning in Nevada PAC announced last week.
Cotton, a Republican who was elected to the Senate in 2014, is widely regarded as a rising star within the national Republican Party. At 39, Cotton is the youngest serving member of the Senate, where he currently sits on the banking committee, the intelligence committee and the armed services committee. Prior to running for public office, he served nearly five years on active duty in the U. S. Army as an infantry officer. Cotton served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne, and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and Ranger Tab.
“Sen. Cotton is a great patriot, an emerging leader of the Republican Party, and one of the Senate’s clearest and strongest voices for effective national security policy,” said Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, the Basque Fry’s chief supporter and organizer. “It is an honor to have him join us at the Second Annual Basque Fry, and I look forward to hearing his ideas on how we will meet the challenges facing our country today.”
Other confirmed speakers for the Basque Fry include Ambassador John Bolton; Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr., of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; U.S. Congressman Dr. Joe Heck; and Danny Tarkanian, the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in Nevada’s Third District. Additional speakers will be announced as confirmed.
The second annual Basque Fry will be held at Corley Ranch in Gardnerville. The inaugural Basque Fry in 2015 drew more than 1,500 attendees, including several then-candidates for president. The event is held to celebrate Nevada’s rich Basque heritage, as the most prominent descendant of Basque sheepherders in state history is also among Nevada’s most accomplished and respected political figures — former governor and U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt. The grandfather of Adam Laxalt, Sen. Laxalt regularly hosted Basque lamb fry events throughout his career, both in Nevada and in Washington, D.C.
The Morning in Nevada PAC was created in 2015 by friends of Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt to help fund conservative causes, candidates and organizations. The Basque Fry is its signature event. More information on the Morning in Nevada PAC and the second annual Basque Fry is available at www.MorningInNevadaPac.org.