Lincoln Day is the primary annual celebration and fundraising event of many state and county organizations of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is held annually in February or March depending on the county and often features a well known speaker from the Republican Party.

Its counterpart for the Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, held the same time every year, is the Jefferson-Jackson Day

Jefferson-Jackson Day

Jefferson-Jackson Day is the most common name given to the annual fundraising celebration held by Democratic Party organizations in the United States. It is named for Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson...

 celebration.

Though traditionally named after Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 as the first elected president of the Republican Party, the event has been renamed Reagan Day

Reagan Day

The Reagan Day celebration is a name sometimes given to the primary annual fundraising event of the U.S. Republican Party on local and state levels...

 in some locations following the death of Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 for the purpose of honoring Reagan and modernizing the Republican Party's message. Commenting on this difference in 2005, Senator Lindsey Graham

Lindsey Graham

Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...

 of South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

joked "We don’t do Lincoln Day Dinners in South Carolina. It’s nothing personal, but it takes a while to get over things," referencing the fact that Lincoln's election led to the secession of South Carolina and other states. In some recent instances Lincoln-Reagan dinners are also held.