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.