Tau: Palin Absent from Iowa and New Hampshire
Byron Tau notes that Sarah Palin has been avoiding Iowa and New Hampshire, which would be an odd strategy if she decided to run for President in 2012:
(Aug. 17) -- If Sarah Palin is interested in mounting a serious bid for the White House in 2012, she isn't following the pack.
Palin has been noticeably absent from two crucial 2012 states -- Iowa and New Hampshire -- whose early nominating contests are considered the bedrock of a successful primary campaign. Voters and caucus-goers in Iowa and New Hampshire are famously proud of their role in the presidential nominating process and often insist on up-close vetting of presidential contenders.
The Iowa State Fair kicked off in earnest on Aug. 12, and two rumored GOP presidential aspirants, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have already been on the midway. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is scheduled to shake hands there Wednesday. For Pawlenty, this was his fourth trip to Iowa since announcing that he would not seek a third term as governor.
But Palin's only appearance in the Hawkeye State since the November 2008 election has been a brief December 2009 stop on her "Going Rogue" book tour -- a national 31-stop tour through 25 states.
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