Palin will stump for Louisiana Tea Party Senate hopeful

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will stump for Tea Party-backed Louisiana Senate candidate Rob Maness this weekend, and the two will dine on alligator.

The conservative star is slated to appear at a Saturday event organized around Maness’s “#OneofUs” campaign, a campaign intended to frame the candidate as an average Louisianan in contrast to the GOP front-runner in the race, Rep. Bill Cassidy, and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), both of whom Maness has characterized as out-of-touch Washington elites.

{mosads}“If you could sum up this campaign, it’s two of them vs. one of us,” a source familiar with the event told The Hill. 

“Mary Landrieu illegally uses taxpayer dollars to pay for charter planes. Bill Cassidy is hosting Mitt Romney at a white-linen fundraising event for the 1 percent. Former Republican vice presidential nominee and Gov. Sarah Palin will be joining Rob Maness at an event here in Louisiana at a local restaurant with a great story serving some gator.”

An email to supporters teased the event as featuring “a very special guest” visiting the state “to support Rob and help promote his positive platform of #SolutionsForUs!” Supporters are asked to bring a “truly undecided voter” to introduce them to Maness’s campaign.

The email also declares: “Rob’s candidacy is confounding the ‘experts’ and is going to shock the establishment on Election Day.”

Though recent polling has shown Maness picking up some support — he cracked double digits in two early September polls but only posted 7 percent support in a survey 10 days ago — Cassidy is still favored to make the expected runoff with Landrieu, who remains one of Democrats’ most vulnerable incumbents this cycle.

The event will take place at family-owned Restaurant des Familles in Crown Point, La., and attendees will be served alligator, a nod to Maness’s first campaign ad, in which he wrestles an alligator and promises to “stand up to the career politicians.”