(An update to this ongoing story is available here.)
It’s unclear now whether former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will appear at an event in Indianola on Saturday.
A person close to the Palins tells Radio Iowa they are “not sure yet” whether Sarah Palin will speak at the “Tea Party of America” event to be held at the balloon fields in Indianola.
There’s been some confusion about the speaking roster for the event. Delaware Republican Christine O’Donnell, an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010, was invited, then dis-invited, then re-invited to speak. The Des Moines Register is reporting O’Donnell is now off the invite list again, as of today.
When Palin’s appearance at the event was first announced weeks ago, it served to amp-up the speculation about whether Palin intends to run for president in 2012.
Palin visited the State Fair earlier this month, just before the Iowa GOP’s Straw Poll, but Palin’s name wasn’t on the ballot for the event as party officials decided to list only “declared” presidential candidates.
This Saturday’s event in Indianola is scheduled to start at 11 o’clock and conclude at 2 p.m. It will be held in the same location where Senator Tom Harkin holds his annual “Steak Fry” fundraiser.
(This story was updated at 1:50 p.m.)