Anchorage Daily News

RICHMOND, Va. -- Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin mistook some of her own fans for hecklers Monday at a rally that drew thousands.

A crowd of at least 20,000 spread across the parking lot of Richmond International Raceway, and scores of people on the periphery more than 100 yards from the stage could not hear.

"Louder! Louder!" they began chanting, and the cry spread across the crowd to Palin's left. Some pointed skyward, urging that the volume be increased.

Palin stopped her remarks briefly and looked toward the commotion.

"I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest," she said.

Some tried to shout toward her what was really being said, but she couldn't hear them.

Some in the crowd had stood in place for more than three hours on a sunny day without shade. At least 25 people collapsed from heat-related illnesses and three were hospitalized, according to authorities with the Henrico County fire department.

Palin had campaigned earlier Monday with John McCain in Virginia Beach, only the second time the GOP ticket has campaigned in Virginia since June. Democrat Barack Obama or his running mate, Joe Biden, together have visited the state eight times over that span.

Virginia has been solidly Republican for 40 years but is now an electoral battleground with 13 electoral votes.

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