You may remember that in 2023, responding to the emergence of “national conservatives” and their statement of principles, a large group of more liberty-minded conservatives drafted and signed their own statement of principles. They called it “Freedom Conservatism.” Several of my (then-future) NR colleagues and I were among the signatories.
Whereas the national conservatives’ statement prioritized sovereignty, economic independence, moral regulation, and immigration restrictionism, freedom conservatives chose to emphasize natural rights, free markets, pluralism, and global security. In my view, they aligned best with NR’s founding principle of “ordered liberty” — a lightly regulated society of free people secured by the rule of law and limited government.
Suffice it to say, the NatCons have been winning the battle for political power over the last several years. They have moved both the conservative movement and the Republican Party toward their ideals and away from those of freedom conservatives. Many of them now populate the offices of the Trump administration and Congress. The presumptive presidential nominee for 2028 is one of them.
But the polls don’t look so good if you consider the midterm elections a referendum on two years of NatCon governance in practice. Therefore, the organizations that make up Freedom Conservatism are convening three “post-election summits to help rebuild the American Right” across the country.
In Philadelphia on November 17, you will see many familiar faces, including yours truly:
The National Review Institute, the Commonwealth Foundation, and other partners will host FreeCon Philadelphia on Tuesday, November 17 from 3pm to 7pm. Former U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday will deliver remarks at the event, which will be held at the Union League in Philadelphia.
Other speakers include Rich Lowry, John Puri, and Andrew Stuttaford from National Review as well as Andrew Lewis from the Commonwealth Foundation, Emily Brey from Americans for Prosperity, and Caleb Fuller from Pennsylvania’s Grove City College.
Click here to find out more about FreeCon Philadelphia and RSVP for the November 17 event.
If you can’t make it to Pennsylvania, there are also great events in Phoenix on November 16 and in Raleigh on November 18. We hope to see you there for serious discussions on where the right should go from here.