Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon attending Ward event in Arizona
Oct 16, 2017, 4:06 PM | Updated: Oct 17, 2017, 11:22 am
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
PHOENIX — Steve Bannon, a controversial former adviser to President Donald Trump, will attend an Arizona fundraising event on Tuesday for Senate hopeful Dr. Kelli Ward.
The Scottsdale event will also feature conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham.
On Monday, Ingraham tweeted that she and Bannon will speak at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for a campaign event to support Ward.
See u Oct 17 Scottsdale Hilton in Arizona! Bannon & I for @kelliwardaz 5:30p. Book signing open to public 6:30p onward! #MeltSnowFlake
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 17, 2017
“Nobody can run and hide,” he said.
The event at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort, located near Scottsdale Road and Lincoln Drive, was branded as the official kickoff event to Ward’s campaign for incumbent Republican Sen. Jeff Flake’s seat.
Tickets to the event — which was scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — were $75 for general admission. Students will be able to get in for $35 with their ID.
VIP tickets were $500, while host packages started at $1,000. The more expensive packages also included a special VIP reception that began at 5 p.m.
All attendees were expected to receive a copy of Ingraham’s latest book, “Billionaire at the Barricades.”
Ward, who has been a vocal supporter or Trump, has received the support of several big-name Republicans and donors since declaring her candidacy. She received the endorsement of the Great America PAC hours before the event.
Two political strategists, Eric Beach and Brent Lowder, who run the Great America PAC and raised millions for Trump have signed on to her campaign.
The PAC is part of an anti-Flake alliance that includes a group backed by Bannon, America First.
Ward has reportedly raised more than $1 million this year.
Flake’s critical outspokeness during Trump’s candidacy and presidency have put him in the sights of many party supporters.
Flake went even further in a recently published book, “The Conscience of a Conservative,” which bashes the GOP for letting Trump pull the party away from traditional conservatism.
In July, Ward said it wasn’t likely that cancer-stricken U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) would be able to do his job going forward.
“That can’t stand,” she said. “We can’t have, until the 2018 election, waiting around to accomplish the Trump agenda.”
Ward later said the comments were part of a smear campaign.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
