State Auditor General Barbara Hafer, the leading Republican candidate for governor, will make a stop in Boalsburg tomorrow as the featured speaker for the Centre County Republican Committee's annual Lincoln Day Dinner.

Hafer will speak about her campaign at the 7 p.m. dinner at the Elks Club, located off Route 322, said Chuck Mong, Republican committee chairman.

"We didn't invite her as auditor general, we invited her as a candidate for governor," Mong said.

The dinner is an annual fund raiser for the committee, marking the birthday of former president Abraham Lincoln, founder of the Republican party, Mong said. Scheduling pushed the affair into March, about a month later than the famed president's birthday, he added.

"You always stay flexible so you can accommodate a good speaker," Mong said.

Hafer, who has been auditor general for a year, was twice elected as Allegheny County Commissioner and served as president of the Allegheny County Prison Board.

Hafer has earned solid support in the Centre Region, Mong said.

Although the campaign is just beginning, the media, legislators and voters statewide have focused much attention on the abortion issue, since Hafer has traditionally taken a pro-choice stance and Gov. Robert P. Casey has said he is pro-life.

One current issue of importance that Hafer will probably address is the state deficit, Mong said.

About 275 people are expected to attend the dinner, which begins with a cash bar at 6, said committee member Becky Corman.