ANAHEIM, Calif.  What if you held a voter turnout rally and the top candidates on the ballot didn’t show up?

Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee chairman, and Sarah Palin, arguably the biggest draw in the Republican Party, found themselves in that position here in Orange County on Saturday night in the first of two high-profile national rallies they are doing before Election Day. The next one is in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday.

Mr. Steele and Ms. Palin (particularly Ms. Palin) packed a ballroom at a hotel complex just outside Disneyland.

But the two Republicans at the top of the California ticket  Meg Whitman, the candidate for governor, and Carly Fiorina, the candidate for Senate  skipped the event, both claiming prior commitments. That said, Ms. Palin is a decidedly unpopular figure in the state, particularly with independent voters, and Republicans said it was probably not a good idea for Ms. Whitman or Ms. Fiorina to be seen at a campaign rally with her this close to Election Day.