Politics & Government

Sarah Palin to Speak to NH Tea Party Tonight

Presidential candidates are courting the group.

SARAH. Sarah. Sarah.

Republican candidates may be unlikely to mutter Sarah Palin’s name, as Sen. John Kerry did of Howard Dean as they pursued the Democratic nomination for president in 2004. “DEAN. Dean. Dean,” Kerry once said, tired of reporters asking him about the former Vermont governor.

But what about Sarah Palin?

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As the Tea Party targets New Hampshire in 2012, is there room for another power player in the first-in-the-nation state? Some say yes.

With Michele Bachmann mining other states for votes, there is an opening in New Hampshire for a strong, conservative woman to make inroads, according to Corey R. Lewandowski, state director of Americans For Prosperity, a sponsor of the Tea Party Express. He is not endorsing a candidate.

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We know that most influential Republicans in the state - from - do not think she should run. 

A poll, though, is simply a snapshot in time. And Palin likes to defy convention. And reporters. At a similar rally in Iowa, Palin heard cheers of "Run, Sarah, Run!" 

So when Palin addresses the Tea Pary Express rally Monday, will she make an announcement or keep a political poker face?

“I am hopeful," Lewandowski said, "if Governor Palin is going to run for president, that she’ll announce it Monday."

At this point, Palin is scheduled to be only at the Manchester event, but she may possibly make an appearance in Nashua, Lewandowski said Saturday night. 

Stay tuned to Patch as the story unfolds.

The Tea Party Express events in New Hampshire:

  • Monday noon at Veterans Park in Manchester, where Sarah Palin, Garry Johnson, and Buddy Roemer are scheduled to speak.
  • Monday at 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Nashua, where Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer are scheduled to speak.


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