Political newcomer Vaughn Ward basked in some star power as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's father and father-in-law began a three-day swing for his congressional campaign in Meridian on Thursday.

Ward, 40, of Eagle, is an Iraq War veteran. Born in Twin Falls and a Boise State grad, he returned to Idaho in 2007. He was working on the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign in Nevada when he met Palin's father, Chuck Heath, an Idaho native, and Todd Palin's dad, Jim. They back Ward's bid to be the GOP challenger to Democrat Walt Minnick in 2010.

Q: What do you like about Vaughn Ward as a congressional candidate?

Heath: "I was totally impressed. By golly, he was organized. Hours and hours of work put in - that's where I was impressed with him."

Palin: "When you look at Vaughn Ward, there's a rounded guy there, there's a real leader. I really believe that you're gonna see Vaughn as one of the bigger leaders in Congress once he's elected."

Q: Are you campaigning for other Republicans?

A: Heath will stump for Danny Tarkanian in Nevada, who plans to challenge U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "He wanted to do it right away, but I gotta go moose hunting in September," Heath said.

Q: Can you shed any light on Sarah Palin's decision to resign as governor?

Heath: "Whenever I'm with Sarah, we never talk politics. It's always family or sports, and it kind of caught me by surprise. All I really know is what I read in the newspaper, and you can't depend on a newspaper to get all the facts."

Palin: "They're very private. That goes back to the very beginning - they eloped when they got married."

Heath: "Saved me a lot of money."

Q: Sarah Palin has been invited to Idaho three times - to give last year's commencement speech at her alma mater, the University of Idaho; to attend an economic conference in Boise in July; and a GOP picnic last week in Idaho Falls. When will our native daughter get back to Idaho?

Ward: "If she's gonna help out in a race, we're making the case this is the place to do it."

Heath: "Our hearts lie in Idaho. ... Oh yeah, I'll talk to her."

Q: What's your hunch on whether Sarah Palin runs for president in 2012?

Heath: "You got a coin? I don't know. They surprise us and don't want to stress us out. 2012? I have no idea and I don't even ask or give her advice."

Palin: "My only comment would be, personally, I do not think you've seen the last of Sarah Palin in one form or another."

Dan Popkey: 377-6438