Sarah Palin to campaign in Virginia Beach

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain’s running mate, will campaign in Virginia on Sept. 18, attending events in the Virginia Beach area.

Attorney General Bob McDonnell, chairman of Virginia’s delegation to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., made the announcement on a conference call from Minnesota with former Sen. George Allen, R-Va.

Allen said Palin, whose son is about to deploy to Iraq, will appeal to veterans in Virginia, as well as to voters in small towns and suburbs.

He noted that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton defeated Sen. Barack Obama in Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.

People who live in small towns “don’t like to be looked down upon,“ Allen said, referring to Obama’s comments at a San Francisco event that some “bitter” Americans “cling to guns or religion” out of frustration with the economy.

Allen noted that Palin hunts and fishes and said she will play well in Virginia.

“While we don’t play hockey in Virginia, they just love her grit,“ Allen said. “She just relates to folks.“