Tucker Carlson to headline Iowa summit, sparking fresh speculation about presidential run

Organizers of the 2022 FAMiLY Leadership Summit say Tucker Carlson will headline their event this summer in Des Moines, Iowa, reigniting speculation about the popular Fox News show host making a presidential run.

The conference is hosted by socially conservative Christian political organization FAMiLY Leader, whose annual gathering is a regular stop for GOP politicians looking to toss their hat into the presidential primary ring.

Last year, the summit was attended by such potential 2024 candidates as former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — all Republicans with conservative credentials. 

Carlson is the most popular cable TV news host in America and has again generated speculation about a presidential run. He has denied plans to run, but that hasn't stopped speculation among political reporters.

"Tucker Carlson heading to Iowa, home of the presidential caucuses, this summer," Robert Costa of CBS News recently wrote. "This particular group's gathering has long been an event attended by Republicans with presidential ambitions."

The New York Times' Maggie Haberman similarly noted, "Tucker Carlson is appearing at the Family Leader summit in Iowa, a typically influential political forum in Iowa GOP politics ahead of presidential cycles."

Haberman's New York Times colleague Shane Goldmacher weighed in to say, "The old saying that no one winds up in Iowa by accident ..."