Joe Miller will host 'Change DC' rally in Anchorage Thursday

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The Republican Party's candidate for the U.S. Senate will host a rally Thursday in Anchorage. Joe Miller's campaign calls it the “Change DC” rally, and Sarah Palin and Todd Palin top the list of special guests that also includes former "Northern Exposure" star Janine Turner.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe radio talker Lars Larson and others are scheduled to appear at the rally via teleconferencing.

The event will be held in the Dena’ina Center at 600 W 7th Ave in Anchorage, and they will open the doors at 6 PM Alaska Time. There is no admission fee, but we doubt the Miller campaign will be refusing any donations.

- JP

Delaware Way: Rock star Sarah Palin in Wilmington this weekend

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Blogger Nancy Willing at Delaware Way says Gov. Palin will "definitely" be in Wilmington, Delaware when the Tea Party Express bus tour rolls in to Dravo Plaza on South Madison Street for a 3 PM (local time) rally:

"The chatter has died down since Sarah Palin tweeted that she would come and campaign in Delaware for her Tea Party endorsee, Christine O'Donnell, well, until today anyway.

I was watching C-SPAN this morning when Tea Party Express founder, Sal Russo, said he is heading to Delaware this weekend to rally for O'Donnell. I made a few calls and discovered that area businesses have been contacted by Palin's 'people' and yes, she is [definitely] going to be traveling here with the Tea Party Express."

No confirmation yet from the "Palin people."

- JP

Palin, Steele, Rubio rally GOP faithful in Orlando

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Sarah Palin told a fired-up crowd of 2,000 Florida Republicans that the financial future and personal freedom of Americans depend on the GOP faithful turning out the vote for conservative candidates across the nation in ten days. Bill Cotterell of the Florida Capital Bureau reports:

"Winning means that we secure our nation, we secure our free markets, we secure our freedoms," Palin shouted to about 2,000 flag-waving, chanting supporters at a convention center near Walt Disney World.

The former Alaska governor was the featured speaker at a two-hour pep rally the Republican National Committee dubbed "Sprint to the Finish," boosting the candidacies of GOP nominees for the U.S. Senate, governor, state Cabinet seats and the U.S. House. RNC Chairman Michael Steele and state GOP Chairman John Thrasher said four Florida districts -- three of them in conservative Central Florida -- are key to the party's prospects of winning control of Congress on Nov. 2.

The GOP needs 10 Senate seats and 39 in the House to take over Congress. Rally participants, who paid $25 a ticket to hear Palin and a succession of top state party leaders, waved signs emblazoned "Fire Pelosi," a reference to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

[...]

Palin made a strong pitch for Florida GOP nominees and predicted the party would prevail, at the state and national levels. But she said everything depends on "our ground game in the next 10 days."

Joining Gov. Palin and chairman Steele at the rally was Marco Rubio, who leads in the race for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Kendrick Meek and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who dropped out of the Republican primary after it become clear that he wouldn't be the winner. Crist is running as an independent in the general election:

Rubio said to cheers that he would work to repeal health care reform and would have voted against stimulus money.

"This election is about turning out and voting," Rubio said. "This is all it's about right now."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele thanked Tea Party supporters for their contributions to the Republican Party.

"They restored our faith in the Constitution," Steele said.

The RNC chairman and Gov. Palin both criticized incumbent U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, the Democrat congressman who has been accused of getting a third-party candidate to run in his race under the "Tea Party" label in an attempt to siphon votes from Daniel Webster, his Republican challenger. The 2008 vice presidential candidate referred to Grayson as a "jackwagon," military slang for a useless person or piece of equipment.

Update: CNN also covered the rally here. The Orlando Sentinel's story is here. The Pensacola News Journal's report is here.

- JP

Gov. Palin will make a surprise Tea Party appearance in Phoenix today

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Gov. Sarah Palin, in a surprise visit to Arizona, will put in an appearance at the Tea Party rally in Phoenix today. The stop on the Tea Party Express "Liberty at the Ballot Box" bus tour will be on the State Capitol grounds by the flagpole. Details from Fox affiliate KSAZ-TV:


- JP

Gov. Palin may appear at October 30 Tea Party rally in Ohio (Updated)

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When the Tea party Express bus tour that Gov. Palin helped launch over the weekend in Reno, Nevada rolls into Columbus, Ohio on October 30, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate will be there, if Bill Cohen, a reporter for Cleveland radio station WCPN, has his facts straight.

TPX has not yet announced the location of the rally, but it will get underway at 11 AM local time.

h/t: Ian Lazaran

Update: Gov. Palin won't be at the Columbus rally after all. Details here.

- JP

Mrco Rubio to join Gov. Palin and Chairman Steele at Florida rally

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According to Politico's Andy Barr, Florida U.S. Senate nominee Marco Rubio (R) will appear with Sarah Palin and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele at an RNC fundraising rally Saturday.

Tickets for the rally at the Orlando World Center Marriott start at just $20.10 and range in price up to $127.25, but attendees who ante up $950 for their tickets get to meet Gov. Palin.

- JP

Sarah Palin and Joe Miller attend ‘9/11 Remembrance Rally’ in Wasilla (Updated)

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Gov. Palin joined the crowd at an event hosted by Alaska's main tea party faction, the Conservative Patriots Group, in her home town of Wasilla Saturday to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the Anchorage Daily News:

In a brief speech at the event marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Palin praised service members. The home state public appearance was a rare one for Palin...

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Palin received an enthusiastic welcome, with people surrounding her for autographs and pictures.

Joe Miller, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, also appeared at the rally. In remarks to the crowd, he talked about the need to protect American liberties.

The Alaska Dispatch reports that Gov. Palin was well received by the Wasilla crowd:

Much to the delight and surprise of many, Palin showed, got on the stage, and asked the now-familiar, "Do you know your freedom?" question. The response indicated that yes, they did. And that wasn't the only thing they loved.

She then asked all military veterans to stand and led a round of huge applause before saying, "It's really, really good to be home, and tonight I think I'll see some of you at the Glenn Beck event."

[...]

After her speech, Palin stepped off the stage and began a long round of handshakes and autograph signing, where she shook hands with everyone from Mead Treadwell to Sam Little, and signed everything from copies of her book to the back of a little girl's shirt to a small rock that a middle-aged woman handed her with a smile.

The crowd was happy and excited to be so close to their former governor, pressing close to shake her hand and get a quick picture. When a reporter asked Palin to identify the biggest threat to the U.S., she answered "Our debt, which is a natural security issue," before turning back to her admiring fans. Palin's daughter, Piper, quickly became bored with the whole scene and asked her mother when they could go.

As Palin walked outside the sports center into the bright Wasilla sun and stepped up into a black Escalade, men standing in the parking lot yelled out "Praying for you!" and "Love you, Sarah!"

The rally was conducted just hours before a Glenn Beck event was scheduled to begin in nearby Anchorage. Thousands are expected to attend tonight's event, where Gov. Palin will introduce Beck. All but 700 of the 4,500 tickets for the Beck event have been sold, says Therin Ferrin, who is with a private contractor that operates the city's convention centers.

Update: ADN's photo gallery of the event is here.

- JP

Restoring Honor rally's permit approved

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The Washington Post reports that the National Park Service said today that the permit for the Aug. 28 Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial has been approved:

Park Service spokesman Bill Line said the permit indicates that organizers expect 300,000 people to attend. Line said it is a "fixed rally" without a march. The rally will go from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The park service also said that it is processing a permit request for a protest demonstration led by the Rev. Al Sharpton the day of the Restoring Honor rally. Rev. Al and his anti-troop troops will stake out a position along Independence Avenue, south of the memorial. Sharpton's staff says they expect 3,000 angry demonstrators at their protest.

- JP

More details on Palin - Ward rally in Boise Friday

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The Ward campaign has made details public for the fundraising rally in Boise Friday with Sarah Palin that was announced Tuesday.

The event will be held at the Qwest Arena in Boise Friday morning beginning at 9:00 Mountain Time. Ward campaign spokesman Mike Tracy told left wing Politico that getting the rally scheduled is a coup for Ward:

"This has been in the planning stages for a while, and the timing is beautiful with four days before the primary," Tracy said. "Love her or hate her, the media covers her a lot. And there's tremendous excitement – her visit is the lead story everywhere on every newscast in the state."

Todd and Sarah Palin's respective dads, Jim Palin and Chuck Heath, have already done some campaigning in Idaho for Ward last year.

- JP

It's the biggest bleeping deal in the Midwest today

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As our esteemed vice president would say, "It's a big [bleep]ing deal." The Minnesota Republican Party has handed out all 10,000 of its tickets for today's Michele Bachmann - Sarah Palin rally that promises to rock the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The doors will open at noon, and the party gets started at 2 p.m. local time, which coincides nicely with Sean Hannity's radio program to be broadcast live from the Convention Center. Rep Bachmann will also be streaming the event live on her website here. The Congresswoman says:

"It’s an exciting time to be a conservative in this country right now, and I encourage you all to stay engaged and keep up the fight! Let’s send a message to Washington this November that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi won’t ever forget!"

Oh, yes, some guy named "Tim" will be there also:

"Pawlenty, one could say, is the odd man out here. He's not as aggressive in his conservatism as Palin or Bachmann--he's been a Sam's Club conservative, so they say, as governor--but he has presented his conservative credentials to the broader political audience, and he has looked to slash spending from Minnesota's budget, which the 2012 GOP primary electorate will like. So maybe he's the odd man out in a room with Palin and Bachmann, but not quite a sore thumb."

With Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin together on the same stage, Shannon Bell wonders:

"Is there enough duct tape in the entire state of Minnesota to keep liberal brains from simultaneously exploding?"

[...]

"Both are strong, conservative women who have turned the political world on its head in the last couple of years. Bachmann and Palin have both served as democratic lightning rods in the last several months for being outspoken advocates of conservatism and anti-big government."

At 4:30 p.m., Gov. Palin will host a fundraiser for Rep. Bachmann at the Minneapolis Hilton. Entry-level tickets for the late afternoon event went for $500, with serious donors shelling out up to $10,000 for a table for ten at an exclusive "private reception with photo opportunity."

Update: CNN may also live stream the event here (h/t: Free Republic), and the Star Tribune says it will stream it here.

- JP

MN GOP announces ticket information for Palin-Bachmann rally

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Minnesota GOP Chairman Tony Sutton Tuesday announced ticket information for the April 7, 2010 rally with former Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The rally, which begins at 7:00 p.m., will be free and open to the public:

“The phones have been ringing off the hook here at the Republican Party of Minnesota since we announced that Governor Sarah Palin would be in town for a rally with our great Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. To get tickets to this event, please visit rally.mngop.com or call 651.222.0022. These tickets won’t last long,” Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton said.

More information from the Republican Party of Minnesota website here.

- JP