Palin a cash draw for friends, foes

JUNEAU, Alaska, April 16 (UPI) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has become a fundraising force, with fans and foes contributing money whether she's the headliner or the headline, observers say.

The one-time Republican vice presidential candidate only has one authorized political action group, SarahPAC, Politico reported Thursday

"The only authorized thing out there at this point is SarahPAC. And the rest are just using her name and brand to draw attention and roll in the dollars," said Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for SarahPAC, the committee Palin established earlier this year to raise money for her political staff, travels and contributions to similar-thinking candidates.

Palin and SarahPAC have been off the political radar, with the exception of a solicitation e-mail and an appearance at an anti-abortion banquet Thursday in Indiana, the Washington publication said. However, other entities -- whether they have the same or the opposite views -- have invoked her name to raise money.

Stapleton said Palin's near-absence from fundraising created a vacuum others have used to their benefit.

"If we find that other people have had a chance at the dollars first, that's OK," she said. "We're not really concerned about diluting any message. It's just we're concerned about people thinking the dollars are going for her or her vision or her philosophy or values when it may just be going for a big-screen TV."