If Sarah Palin is considering a run for president, she hasn't told anyone in New Hampshire.

"I haven't heard of anything, and I haven't heard of anyone who's heard of anything," said Steve Duprey, an adviser to John McCain's presidential campaign who worked with Palin last year.

That same conclusion was voiced in interviews with more than a dozen Republican activists, strategists and elected officials. Many said there was plenty of interest in Palin, especially among grassroots conservatives. But neither Palin nor her emissaries seem to have made inroads in New Hampshire's Republican circles since last year's presidential campaign, where Palin was the GOP nominee for vice president.

Since announcing her intention to resign as Alaska governor earlier this month, Palin has been vague about her plans. She vowed to work for like-minded candidates and is slated to write a book. But she has not addressed speculation that she may run for president in 2012.

"With this decision, now, I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right, and for truth. And I have never felt that you need a title to do that," Palin said Sunday while formally stepping down as governor.

Whatever Palin ends up pursuing, there's little doubt she would draw a crowd in New Hampshire - if she showed up. Matt Mayberry, a Republican activist who is busy organizing the Strafford County Republican Picnic next month, said countless people have urged him to invite Palin.

"Everyone you talk to, she is their first choice," Mayberry said. "The interest level is so huge, both politically and personality-wise."

The problem is, Mayberry wouldn't know who to call if he thought Palin might consider an offer.

"I guess I would probably go through the Alaska Republican Party," said Mayberry, who served as a county chairman for McCain's presidential campaign and met Palin last year. "They've got to have some contact for her."

The next New Hampshire presidential primary is at least 2½ years away, and it would be unusual for any prospective candidate to set up a campaign apparatus this early. Given how well-known she is, Palin wouldn't have to spend much time introducing herself to voters if she does run. But some Republicans said they didn't know how to interpret her silence in New Hampshire. Is she biding her time, disorganized or just uninterested in running for president in three years?

"She has time," said Rep. Fran Wendleboe, a Republican from New Hampton. "First you get the book written, then you go on the stump and make the circuit, just when the book is published. But I don't think you'll see her doing any local stuff in New Hampshire or Iowa. I don't think she's there yet."

If Palin is considering a run for president, resigning as governor gives her more time to woo primary voters in places such as Manchester and Des Moines, Iowa, both long flights from Anchorage, Alaska. And Maureen Mooney, a Republican activist from Merrimack, said Palin confided a special fondness for the Granite State while traveling with her on a campaign bus from Laconia to Concord last autumn.

"She remarked that New Hampshire was a lot like Alaska, in both the landscape and in the electorate," Mooney said. "She was very impressed by that."

Still, all communication so far between Palin and the state GOP is flowing in one direction. Several conservative groups - including the New Hampshire Reagan Network and the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition - have invited Palin to speak at their gatherings. None has received a reply. Ann Marie Banfield, who founded Team Sarah New Hampshire, said she hopes Palin might be more accessible now that she doesn't have the responsibilities of serving as governor. Banfield said her organization, which is not officially affiliated with Palin, was waiting for signs from Palin herself.

"The door is open, and if she's willing to reach out, we'd certainly welcome her," Banfield said. "If she announces a candidacy, we have something in place to support her - if that happens." (next page »)