Today, I’ll be traveling to New Orleans to cover this weekend’s Southern Republican Leadership Conference, a quadrennial event that usually features everyone who may run for the presidential nomination in the next cycle.  It has become a key test of organizational ability and for support within the party ranks, and this year looks to be no exception.  However, as Reid Wilson reports for Hotline on his way to the SRLC, others may face some tests as well:

The SRLC, in ’06, was seen as an early test of the strength of WH’08 contenders’ organizational strength. … In the absence of a Paul candidacy, many GOP strategists will be watching Palin. Aside from her address to the ’08 GOP convention and the National Tea Party Convention earlier this year, the SRLC will be the first time she addresses a group of GOP activists on her own. While the media will consider her a possible contender for the WH’12 crown until the day she formally declares she won’t run, GOP strategists will be watching closely to see if she can impress the activist class she would need if she decides to make a bid.

Barbour, Santorum, Pence and Perry — potential candidates not on everyone’s list — could benefit most if Palin and Paul fall short. In the absence of a concerted effort from both Pawlenty and Romney, the 4 lower-tier contenders have the opportunity to wow delegates with a rousing address. If any of the 4 do better on the straw poll ballot than expected, key activists in early primary states will take note.

The weekend event, expected to draw several thousand activists from key southern states, will also be a big test for RNC chair Michael Steele. After 2 weeks of bad press coverage following a scandal involving a risque L.A. nightclub, Steele will address what should be a friendly crowd on Saturday. But CPAC attendees gave Steele a net-negative fav/unfav rating. If SRLC attendees feel similarly negative about Steele, his bad streak could continue.

The problem for the second tier is that the top tier is already getting crowded.  Rick Perry and Haley Barbour probably have the biggest opportunities, with years as governors on their resumes.  Santorum is a 99-1 longshot, and his run would serve more to get his social-conservative agenda on the table for debate in a cycle that looks to focus on economic issues.  Pence has a good following in the party, but we haven’t elected anyone directly from the House since James Garfield.  He needs a broader constituency before launching that kind of national bid.

For Palin, the test may not be of her as much as it is of her intent.  If she decides to run, she would be formidable, with a large base of passionate supporters.  So far, though, she has mainly signaled an interest in activism and in expanding her media reach.  The SRLC may give a clearer idea what she has planned for the next two years.  As Wilson notes, this is the first time since the 2008 campaign that Palin has engaged the establishment of the party.  What kind of message will she deliver, and how will it be received?  If she’s thinking about making a run in 2012, she’ll need the people in the room, perhaps as much as she’ll need her base.

Steele has a rather obvious task at the SRLC: keep the focus off of him and onto the party and its causes.  He’s certainly well equipped to do so.  Steele is an excellent public speaker in these kinds of forums, and he will make the best use of the opportunity.  This isn’t CPAC or a Tea Party, and if he’s going to have a sympathetic audience anywhere, it’s going to be here. After announcing a shake-up at the RNC, Steele has to hope that the gathered crowd of party organizers and activists want to give him a chance to right the ship.  I’ll be especially interested in reaction to Steele among the attendees and blogger activists.

Two presumed candidates won’t make it to the SRLC, which Wilson calls a “boycott” in a silly display of hyperbole.  Tim Pawlenty elected to stay home and greet troops returning from Iraq this weekend, but will instead deliver a videotaped speech to the gathering.  Mitt Romney is in the middle of his book tour, which may not be as good of an excuse.  Romney has taken a lot of heat over the Massachusetts precursor to ObamaCare, and as the GOP rallies around a Repeal and Replace message, Romney may feel less comfortable.  His absence looks more like risk avoidance than a boycott, and besides, his organizational skills aren’t in question anyway.

I’ll be covering the events starting on Friday, as I won’t get into New Orleans in time to catch tonight’s events.  I plan on getting interviews and keeping track of the events, including the major speeches, through the weekend.  Be sure to keep checking in at Hot Air.  You can also watch the speeches live on C-SPAN.  Andrew Malcolm sent the agenda to me earlier (time in CDT):

Thurs, April 8   6:30 – 9pm

2010 Convention- Opening Session

Mary Matalin-Welcome/Intro 6:37
Liz Cheney 6:42
Newt Gingrich 7:00
Gingrich Q&A 7:45
JC Watts 8:03

Fri, April 9   12 – 3:30pm

2010 Convention-   General Session

Tony Perkins 12:10
Sarah Palin 12:28
Chris Wilson 1:18
Gary Johnson 1:43
Bobby Jindal 1:53
Andrew Breitbart 2:33
Rick Perry 2:48

Sat, April 10   12-5pm

2010 Convention-  General Session

Joseph Cao-Invocation/Welcome 12:01
David Vitter/intro 12:11
Rick Santorum 12:21
Steve Scalise/intro 12:46
Mike Pence 12:56
Rodney Alexander/Intro 1:21
Haley Barbour 1:26
Herman Cain 2:01
Bill Cassidy/Intro 2:21
Tim Pawlenty (video speech) 2:21
Ron Paul 2:29
John Fleming/Intro 3:09
Michael Williams 3:14
Thaddeus McCotter 3:24
Jan Larimer/intro 3:34
Michael Steele 3:39