Tea Party star Sarah Palin had lunch Saturday with Deb Fischer, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, then ladled praise on the Nebraskan.

"Hard-working, very grounded, down-to-earth, patriotic American woman," Palin said of Fischer. "I love her common sense. I love her passion for sound policy."

The two had an early lunch at the Summer Kitchen Cafe on Giles Road in La Vista.

Fischer, a Valentine rancher, then moved on to events in Wilber and Broken Bow. Palin and her husband, Todd, stopped briefly at Cabela's, looked at some goods and spoke to a few customers.

The endorsement of the Fox News contributor spurred Fischer's sudden rise this spring in the Republican primary and helped her win the nomination over better-known candidates Jon Bruning and Don Stenberg.

Fischer knows agriculture and understands how to help "common-sense, constitutional Americans," Palin said in a brief interview while leaving the store. "We need  more of that when it comes to regulation and policy."

Palin, a former Alaska governor and the Republican vice presidential candidate four years ago, has invested considerable time in backing candidates she likes.

In Texas she supported Ted Cruz, who last week knocked off Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Late last week Palin campaigned in Missouri for Senate candidate Sarah Steelman.

The meeting Saturday between Palin and Fischer "was sort of set up at the last second," Fischer spokesman Daniel Keylin said. "I didn't find out about it until this morning."

Keylin said Fischer appreciated Palin's support, but the spokesman denied that his candidate is tightly aligned with Palin's political philosophy. Fischer, a state senator in the Nebraska Legislature, doesn't fit any mold, he said.

Fischer is a "common-sense conservative" who has a record of working across party lines to accomplish goals, Keylin said.

He said Fischer and Palin hadn't met face-to-face before and "got to sit down and talk about life and talk about the race" on Saturday.

A campaign spokesman for her opponent, Bob Kerrey, said in a statement it wasn't surprising that Fischer would dine with her "Tea Party mentor," Palin.

"Both are ill prepared for higher office, and both would follow their Tea Party cohorts to radically cut Medicare and Social Security, while protecting tax loopholes for their billionaire benefactors,'' said Paul Johnson, Kerrey's campaign manager.

The Palins, including daughters Willow and Piper, traveled by family motor home Saturday afternoon to an event outside Des Moines, a spokesman said. They left behind at least one delighted fan in Cabela's.

Lonnie Robb, who was attending a sales meeting in La Vista for his animal-health products company, was in the store when he saw someone taking a picture with a camera phone. Robb looked at the subject of the photo and was stunned.

Robb, of Nazareth, Texas, recovered and had Palin sign the bill of his cap. "I didn't know she was so petite," he said. "And she was so polite. She said, 'Lonnie, where are you from?' "

The Palins had left the store, but inside, Robb was showing off the autograph on his cap.

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402-444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com