The Conservative Movement has lost a principled leader, and I have lost a longtime friend with the passing of David Keene.
David showed his leadership early. As a young man, he was elected national chairman of Young Americans for Freedom. He understood a simple truth: ideas don’t win unless people are organized to fight for them. Conservatives had to be mobilized and institutions built to carry those ideas into action. That became the focus of his life.
As chairman of the American Conservative Union for 28 years, David also served as chairman of CPAC and helped build it into the preeminent annual gathering for conservatives nationwide. As president of the National Rifle Association and opinion editor of The Washington Times, he brought discipline, sound judgment, and a deep knowledge of the movement’s history. When he took on a challenge, people knew it would be done right.
David belonged to the generation that carried the conservative cause from the grassroots uprising of the Goldwater campaign through the victories of the Reagan years and on to the Trump victories decades later. He remained one of the movement’s steady hands as it grew and met new challenges.
Just a few months ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with David and John Gizzi of Newsmax for an extended conversation reflecting on his decades on the front lines of the Conservative Movement. Over the course of two and a half hours, David spoke about the campaigns and the leaders that shaped both his career and the movement itself. It was time I will always treasure.
He possessed a lifetime of perspective, yet he never sought personal attention or recognition.
The Conservative Movement is stronger and better organized because David helped build it. With David’s passing, we have lost one of its pillars.
Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed.
Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
David showed his leadership early. As a young man, he was elected national chairman of Young Americans for Freedom. He understood a simple truth: ideas don’t win unless people are organized to fight for them. Conservatives had to be mobilized and institutions built to carry those ideas into action. That became the focus of his life.
As chairman of the American Conservative Union for 28 years, David also served as chairman of CPAC and helped build it into the preeminent annual gathering for conservatives nationwide. As president of the National Rifle Association and opinion editor of The Washington Times, he brought discipline, sound judgment, and a deep knowledge of the movement’s history. When he took on a challenge, people knew it would be done right.
David belonged to the generation that carried the conservative cause from the grassroots uprising of the Goldwater campaign through the victories of the Reagan years and on to the Trump victories decades later. He remained one of the movement’s steady hands as it grew and met new challenges.
Just a few months ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with David and John Gizzi of Newsmax for an extended conversation reflecting on his decades on the front lines of the Conservative Movement. Over the course of two and a half hours, David spoke about the campaigns and the leaders that shaped both his career and the movement itself. It was time I will always treasure.
He possessed a lifetime of perspective, yet he never sought personal attention or recognition.
The Conservative Movement is stronger and better organized because David helped build it. With David’s passing, we have lost one of its pillars.
Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed.
Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
