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It happened for the first time the day after John McCain named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Gail Huber was taking her mother to a doctor's appointment when a medical worker on the elevator blurted, "You look just like Sarah Palin!"
Huber, a Stafford County resident, was floored.
"It really blew me away," she recalled. "I hadn't made the connection."
But in the two months since, about 30 strangers have either done double takes or stopped Huber in passing to make the observation.
Huber is a Republican and a supporter of the McCain-Palin ticket, so she always answers cheerfully. "Be sure to vote," she says.
Huber has come to see the resemblance herself.
The two women are similar in age--Huber is 45, Palin 44--and each has a slender build. At 5 feet 3 inches, Huber thinks she's shorter than the nominee.
Huber has long hair with highlights and bangs, and she often wears it up in a style similar to Palin's. She's noticed a similarity, too, in their facial structure.
And Huber wears square glasses--not rimless, like Palin's, but similar enough to make strangers look twice.
Their wardrobes, though, aren't even close.
"I'm a stay-at-home mom," Huber said, "so I don't dress in suits unless I'm at some function with my husband."
She's happy to look like Palin, whom she admires.
"I like her conservative views," Huber said. "I like her spiritual foundation, and I like that she seems so all-American."
But it's a little unsettling to realize that she also resembles Tina Fey, whose Palin impressions on "Saturday Night Live" have struck Huber as less than flattering to the candidate. Still, she's glad Palin went along with the joke by appearing on "SNL" herself.
Huber plans to attend today's Palin appearance in Fredericksburg, and she's perfectly OK with the idea that other supporters might confuse her with the nominee. She won't sign autographs, though--she'd rather get an autograph from Palin, if that works out.
Huber is married to Clay Huber and the mom of Chad, 7; Evan, 11; and Jake, 12.
Clay Huber's stepfather is car dealer Ron Rosner, who delights in introducing Gail Huber as "my daughter-in-law, Sarah Palin."
"I think that's pretty bold of him," she said with a laugh.
Laura Moyer: 540/374-5417
Email: lmoyer@freelancestar.com
