Is Miss California the New Joe the Plumber?

Carrie Prejean's already got a brighter future, political or otherwise, than most pageant queens--Sarah Palin, excluded

Now that Miss California has spoken out against gay marriage, is she the next Joe the Plumber or what?
—Heather, Butte, Mont.

If you're asking whether anti-gay-marriage groups have wrapped their Jesus-lovin' arms around Carrie Prejean's perfectly tanned spine, the answer is: They certainly are trying.

"She's gotten several requests to speak from statewide pro-marriage-and-family groups," her (brand-spankin' new) spokeswoman just told me.

Uppity-ups in the Republican party also tell me Prejean definitely will be approached by some arm of theirs, though whether she'll be game is another story. She may be too busy suing Donald Trump or (possibly) dating Michael Phelps to participate...

Prejean also wants to make sure she isn't pigeonholed into the gay-marriage issue alone, her spokeswoman said.

"She wants to speak more for standing up for what you believe in, rather than any specific issue," the spokeswoman told me. "She just wants young people to be strong in their beliefs and not let culture sway them."

I've also learned that conservative group Focus on the Family, lead by James Dobson, is dying to reach her.

"Dr. Dobson would very much like to speak with her, at least privately," a Focus spokesman tells me. "There are some efforts going on to see if we can connect the two of them."

Most pageant queens never make it to the speaking circuit. And, Sarah Palin notwithstanding, most certainly don't get recruited by political parties.

Instead, pageant interview coach Justin Rudd tells me, they usually just take on careers as models—Tamiko Nash presented for The Price Is Right for a while—or "they may go back and judge other pageants, or get married and settle down."

If a beauty queen does become a speaker, it's usually over some noncontroversial issue, like former Miss America Kirsten Haglund, who crusades against anorexia. (I know of no major political group that is pro-starvation.)

"I will guarantee you that the Republican party is going to embrace her," says former Arizona attorney general Grant Woods, who was John McCain's first chief of staff. "I haven't talked to anyone in the party about it yet, but I guarantee you, they will."

Dare I say Carrie Prejean vs. Perez Hilton in 2012?

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