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  (Photo: Reuters / Brendan McDermid)
  Sarah Palin (C), former governor of Alaska, greets supporters as she exits the Fox News headquarters in New York, June 1, 2011.

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow can add another fan to the list: political pundit Sarah Palin. Palin gave a symbolic wink and a nod in Tebow’s direction when she said she respects what the young Denver Broncos player stands for.

“Oh, I am so pro-Tebow. You know he is so unashamed of his savior, Jesus of Nazareth,” Palin said on Fox News after being asked her opinion of the controversial quarterback. “He knows Jesus is going to rock your world when you give it over to him, and he's bold about it, and he knows that the son of God should be honored and praised. Tebow does that and I respect it.”

Palin isn’t the first political figure to jump aboard the Tebow train. In last week’s GOP debate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared that he wants to be the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.

"There are a lot of folks who said Tim Tebow wasn't going to be a very good NFL quarterback. There are people who stood up and said, 'Well, he doesn't have the right throwing mechanisms,'" Perry said during the debate. "He won two national championships and that looked pretty good. We were the national champions in job creation back in Texas."

“I’m ready to be the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.”

The evangelical quarterback’s name may keep appearing in coming weeks as the general election draws nearer. GOP politicians are realizing the popularity and respect Tebow has among many Christians and will likely try to capitalize on that.

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Tebow is known for being very vocal about his Christian faith, something that has made him quite controversial in the sports world. He consistently thanks “His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” at the beginning of every press conference and kneels on the sideline in a position of prayer that has popularly become known as “tebowing.” Recently, Saturday Night Live parodied the quarterback and the idea that God is responsible for his football victories.

Since Tebow has been named starting quarterback, the Broncos have been elevated to a 7-2 record.