Foley to Speak to Gun Rights Group.

Republican Tom Foley, explorer of a gubernatorial bid, will speak to the Connecticut Citizens Defense League in Middletown this evening. The 2010 Republican nominee for governor has been cagey about his views on gun control, an issue that engages the intense attention of a vein of party activists. How many it propels into action is a question party leaders and other activists have been pondering among themselves for months.

Perhaps this will be Foley’s Sister Souljah moment–when a politician confronts a group and emphasizes his differences with it. Whatever he says, the businessman and former ambassador will need to be more coherent than he has been in high profile appearances at the start of his campaign.

Wags will note that Foley is appearing on a weeknight, so this must be an event of some moment for him. Or the new year has provided him with a pass to venture into Connecticut’s interior more often. Foley’s thin schedule last fall had Republicans wondering about his commitment to the race. He lent his name to many local political events at which he was a no-show.