By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON – Sarah Palin on Thursday endorsed a Senate candidate backed by the tea party, a move that complicates national Republican efforts to recruit their favored choice in the Washington state race.
On her Twitter account, the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate described Clint Didier, a former Washington Redskins player, as a “patriot running for U.S. Senate to serve his state & our country for all the right reasons!” She didn’t mention Dino Rossi, a two-time candidate for governor who is widely anticipated to jump into the race challenging Democratic Sen. Patty Murray in November.
National Democrats have been aggressively criticizing Rossi, hoping to keep him out of the Senate race or rough him up by the time he’s officially in – similar to what they did to Indiana’s Dan Coats. But most of the Democrats’ attacks on Rossi are familiar from his two previous bids and Rossi has been in no rush to start campaigning ahead of the Aug. 17 primary.