CYPRESS, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry welcomed former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to a rally in suburban Houston, adding some national Republican star power to his re-election campaign.

Palin is appearing Sunday with Perry a day after she was in Nashville to address the first national convention of the anti-establishment Tea Party coalition.

Perry is decidedly establishment in Texas but has campaigned as anti-Washington in his March 2 GOP primary race against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. He's seeking a third four-year term that would add to his tenure as the longest-serving governor in Texas history.

The rally is being held in an 8,500-seat arena northwest of Houston in Cypress. The facility is decked out with red, white and blue signs, and a giant Texas flag hangs as a backdrop behind the stage.

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