SPOKANE - Washington Policy Center – the state’s leading independent research organization – announced today that one of the nation’s top young political commentators and the former Secretary of Energy and longest-serving Governor of Texas will keynote the region’s largest annual policy gala dinner this fall.

Commentator Candace Owens and former Energy Secretary and Governor of Texas, Rick Perry will be featured at Washington Policy Center's 2020 Eastern Washington Annual Dinner, which will be held Friday, October 16th, 2020 at 7:00pm at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane.

“Secretary Perry brings experience from both D.C. and his state capitol in Austin as one of the nation’s most successful governors,” explained WPC president Dann Mead Smith. “Candace Owens' passionate commentary electrifies audiences nationwide. It is a thrill to be able to welcome both of them to Spokane for the region’s best event.”

Secretary Perry served as the nation’s 14th Secretary of Energy under President Trump from 2017-2020. He also served for 15 years as the Governor of Texas following the election of President George W. Bush. During his time as governor, the state of Texas accounted for 30% of the new jobs created in the entire country.

Candace Owens is one of the nation’s youngest and most popular political commentators, exploding onto the scene in the summer of 2017. She has spoken at more than 60 American Universities, has appeared on cable news programming hundreds of times, and has a social media following in the millions.

The appearance of Owens and Perry in Spokane will come the day after one of the nation’s scheduled presidential debates and just a few weeks before the 2020 presidential election.

Tickets to the blockbuster 2020 WPC Eastern Washington Annual Dinner featuring Secretary Rick Perry and Candace Owens are available now at washingtonpolicy.org or by calling WPC’s Eastern Washington Annual Dinner hotline at (509) 624-4811.

Washington Policy Center focuses on eight key research areas: Agriculture, Education, Environment, Government Reform, Health Care, Small Business, Transportation and Worker Rights. Ideas from WPC’s research centers are regularly implemented and debated by voters and the Legislature.