WASHINGTON — Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on Sunday will launch a tour of the East Coast, including a stop in the politically important state of New Hampshire, a development likely to roil the Republican presidential nominating contest.
The former Alaska governor’s political action committee, SarahPAC, announced Thursday that Palin would tour “historical sites that were key to the formation, survival and growth of the United States of America. The tour will originate in Washington, D.C., and will proceed north up the East Coast.”
Palin will appear Monday at the annual Memorial Day “Rolling Thunder” event on the National Mall, a gathering of motorcycle riding veterans.
“Our nation is at a critical turning point. As we look to the future, we are propelled by America’s past. It’s imperative that we connect with our founders, our patriots, our challenges and victories to clearly see our way forward,” Palin says ina posting on the website. “A good way to do this is to appreciate the significance of our nation’s historic sites, patriotic events and diverse cultures, which we’ll do in the coming weeks on our ‘One Nation’ tour.”
Her aides would not detail other stops on the tour but said it would include New Hampshire, site of the nation’s first presidential primary election, fueling speculation that she is preparing to run for president.
Whatever her ultimate plans, Palin’s re-emergence into the spotlight will affect the race for the Republican nomination, GOP strategists say. The tour could garner wide press attention just as Republican presidential hopefuls are trying to generate enthusiasm for their own candidacies.
Palin’s revived public presence could splinter support among Tea Party-affiliated conservatives, who were already divided. Her flirtation with a run could also prompt undecided Republican donors and party elders to hold back on aligning with any candidate as they wait for the field to settle.
The tour announcement is the latest of several moves by Palin that has whipped up speculation about her political plans.
In recent days, she and her husband, Todd Palin, purchased a $1.7 million house in Scottsdale, Ariz., giving her a base of operation in the lower 48 states.
She also rehired two logistics aides, Jason Recher and Doug McMarlin, that she had dismissed, a Palin aide said Wednesday. In addition, a full-length feature film focused largely on her time as governor is in the final stages of editing by conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon.
The film is set for release in June, with a debut screening in Iowa, the first state to vote in the nominating contest.
A Palin confidant said he is 95 percent certain she will not run. Palin’s image among the broader public has dimmed in recent months, polls show, particularly after she used the term “blood libel” to rebut accusations from critics that attempted to link her assertive rhetoric to the Arizona shooting rampage that killed six people and seriously injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
The April Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 25 percent view her favorably while 53 percent view her unfavorably. Only 9 percent of those polled felt very positively toward her, a low in Journal polling, while 41 percent viewed her very negatively, a new high.
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