The Hill News

Sarah Palin will keynote the annual Conservative Political Action Conference's meeting next month in Washington, marking a return to the national spotlight for the former Alaska governor - and a mending of bridges with the American Conservative Union, a prominent conservative group Palin has previously criticized.

“Few national conservative leaders in America today energize and inspire our grassroots activists like Governor Sarah Palin. Her strong record of leadership, championing of our shared principles and magnetic personality have made Sarah Palin a hero to millions of conservatives across the country,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “As we ready for the critical 2012 election, I’m honored to welcome Governor Palin to the Conservative Political Action Conference for the first-time ever.”

Palin has been offered the keynote address in each of the past three years, but repeatedly turned the group down. Last year, multiple reports said t! hat Palin was skipping the convention because of the inclusion of GOProud, a gay Republican group, although the governor said her absence was due to a scheduling conflict. Tea Party Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) replaced her as keynote speaker.

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