NBAA is bringing in CNN commentator Paul Begala and political consultant Matt Schlapp to provide an overview of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections for attendees at the association’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (BACE), which is scheduled for October 16 to 18 in Orlando, Florida. Begala and Schlapp will keynote the second-day general session at the convention.

The two speakers are anticipated to provide “contrasting and colorful insights” just ahead of the November 6 elections, NBAA said. “This is an important election year,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “These recognized thought leaders, from the political left and right, will each surely bring their own unique brand of clarity and style to the discussion.”

Begala, an affiliated professor of public policy at Georgetown University, was a senior adviser for the Barack Obama Super PAC in the 2012 presidential election and also has worked with James Carville on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. He has been inducted into the American Association of Political Consultants' Hall of Fame and authored several best-selling political books.

Schlapp’s background includes more than 20 years of government, corporate, and political experience. He is a principal at the government and public relations firm Cove Strategies and current chair of the American Conservative Union. He has held a number of political advisor roles, including as deputy assistant for President George W. Bush.