Although it has not yet been announced to the public at large, Yellowhammer can confirm that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus will be the headline speaker at the ALGOP Winter Dinner February 1 at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.

Yellowhammer first heard earlier this week from sources close to the Armistead campaign that Priebus would possibly be the speaker, but we didn’t confirm it with an RNC official until yesterday.

Rumors have been swirling for the past 48 hours that Priebus would be endorsing Chairman Armistead in his bid for a second term. ALGOP executive committee members told Yellowhammer they received calls from Armistead telling them that Priebus was coming at his behest and to lend his support to his reelection. The RNC officials Yellowhammer spoke with said that Priebus actually wasn’t aware there was to be an election the day after his speaking engagement, although he was very excited to be coming back to Alabama to see the Republican faithful in one of the country’s great conservative strongholds.

“Chairman Priebus is coming to Alabama to support the Alabama GOP,” the RNC official said. “He has a policy of not getting involved in state chair elections and looks forward to working with whomever is elected to lead the state party in 2013.”

Priebus, a past chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party, was elected Chairman of the Republican National Committee in January of 2011. He’s credited by many Party insiders with turning around a beleaguered Republican National Committee and reestablishing the Party as a fundraising powerhouse. He’s a heavy favorite to win a second two-year term. The 2013 RNC Winter Meeting, where the RNC elections will take place, is scheduled for January 23 – 26, 2013 in Charlotte, NC.