Minnesota GOP wants Tim Pawlenty for Senate

Tim Pawlenty is out of the presidential race, but some say his political career isn’t over.
The Star Tribune reports that supporters say he’ll be back, perhaps in the 2012 U.S. Senate race, although Pawlenty denied that would happen. MinnPost says he’s also not interested in a vice president position.


The Star Tribune stated T-Paw “might have a better chance of victory in 2014, running against U.S. Sen. Al Franken, who eked out a close victory after a months-long recount,” and that he could also try a 2016 presidential run.


Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times also looked ahead: “For Pawlenty, while his dreams of the White House in 2012 have been dashed, he still could have a future on the campaign trail for other candidates and possibly a cabinet post, ambassadorship or other role if President Obama is defeated.


For Pawlenty supporters, this weekend's Iowa straw poll results means the end of a promising national campaign. For local Republicans, it signals a possible beginning.


"Like my mom always used to say, things always work out for the best in the end, and maybe this is an opportunity for Minnesota," said Tony Sutton, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party.


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Sutton said he hasn't talked to Pawlenty yet, but knows what he'll say when the time comes.


"Now that he's not running for president, I sure hope he'd consider running for U.S. Senate," said Sutton. "I think he'd make a heck of a candidate."


Just recently, Pawlenty dismissed the idea of running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Amy Kobuchar, who is up for re-election next year. Pawlenty's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.


The most recent polling from Minnesota suggests that Klobuchar would be a tough opponent for any Republican, including Pawlenty, who trailed her by 13 points in a June PPP survey. Unlike Klobuchar, Pawlenty has long had mixed polling numbers of his own, with PPP giving him just a 40 percent favorable, 53 percent unfavorable rating last month. On Friday, he said he wouldn't run for Senate in 2012, though that was then he was still a presidential candidate.


If Pawlenty wants to be a senator, a better path might be waiting two years, going into the private sector and making some money, and then taking a crack at Sen. Al Franken in 2014.