Former Trump advisor to headline Sangamon County's GOP Lincoln Day dinner

Patrick Keck, State Journal-Register
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Kellyanne Conway, an advisor of former President Donald Trump, will be the keynote speaker of the Sangamon County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day dinner.

Sangamon County GOP chair Dianne Barghouti Hartwick said the dinner, scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 3, has been a fundraiser for the party dating back more than 100 years. Tickets begin at $125 per person for the dinner with photo opportunities available for $50 each.

She first saw Conway speak in Peoria and was impressed by what she heard describing Conway as "very dynamic and very smart."

"We go with who we think will be interesting in our county and a few other counties," Hartwick said Tuesday.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on August 26, 2020 Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway speaks with the press at the White House in Washington, DC. - Former Counselor to the US President Kellyanne Conway said on October 2, 2020 that she has tested positive for Covid-19. President Donald Trump was hospitalized on October 2 and given an experimental Covid-19 treatment, but said he was "well," following bombshell news that the Republican had contracted the virus, knocking him off the campaign trail a month from the US election. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 0 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_8RB6B7.jpg

Asked about Conway's ties to Trump, now embattled with legal charges tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Hartwick reiterated that the selection was not regarding the former president. Trump carried Sangamon County in 2020 despite losing Illinois and the overall election.

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Instead, that Peoria speech delivered by Conway resonated with Hartwick.

"She was all about the positive things of America and working towards other positive things," she said.

Conway became the first woman campaign manager to lead a candidate to victory in 2016 and then served as senior counselor to Trump from 2017 to 2020. She stepped down from the role citing family matters. Last year, she released an autobiography.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was the 2022 Lincoln Day dinner speaker.

Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.com

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Kellyanne Conway to speak at Sangamon County GOP Lincoln Day dinner