What I saw from Hewitt at this event was someone who admired her very much. He wasn't damning her with faint praise, he was saying what a wonderful representative of conservatism she was. It was over the top praise from him and was very sincere.
An event, what event?
There is no way that Hewitt would be anything but enthusiastic and positive about her at a live event, but listen to his show, and hear the ever so subtle distancing, and marginalizing.