Free Republic

JACKSON, Mich. — After a brief speech at the opening of a campaign office here, Tim Pawlenty was asked if he would return to Michigan “when you’re vice president.” “We’ll know soon enough,” Pawlenty, dressed in shirt sleeves, told the crowd with a chuckle. The former Minnesota governor is believed to be on Mitt Romney’s short list of running mates and there is speculation that the choice could be made any day. Hank Choate, the chair of the Jackson County Republicans, asked the former Minnesota governor what his schedule is like Friday, asking a question many of the reporters in...

CARY, NC -- Fresh from lunch at Chick-Fil-A, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that officials' public objections to the Christian-owned fast food chain are "chilling." "Now you have the police power of government intimidating and threatening people, being used to intimidate and threaten people, based on their free speech rights and their religious views," Pawlenty said Saturday of city officials' objections to president Dan Cathy's public disavowal of gay marriage. "I mean it’s chilling. I mean it’s stunning, it is jaw-dropping. And so I think strong people who see this need to stand up and say no we don’t...

Fellow Minnesotans Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann appear to have buried the hatchet after bitter sniping last year on the campaign trail. Bachmann donated $2,000 in March from her congressional leadership PAC to Pawlenty’s presidential campaign to help him retire the debt he accumulated during his failed presidential bid, according to a campaign report released Tuesday.

Mitt Romney, his family, staff and supporters donated a combined $66,000 to help Tim Pawlenty retire the debt left over from his presidential campaign. Romney, his wife, five sons and brother, as well as his associates from Bain Capital were among those cutting maximum checks to Pawlenty, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign filings released Tuesday. Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, dropped out of the race last summer after a disappointing showing in the Ames straw poll, and quickly endorsed Romney. At the time, there was talk that Romney’s campaign would help Pawlenty’s retire its debt, then in the...

Mitt Romney, his family, staff and supporters donated a combined $66,000 to help Tim Pawlenty retire the debt left over from his presidential campaign. Romney, his wife, five sons and brother, as well as his associates from Bain Capital were among those cutting maximum checks to Pawlenty, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign filings released Tuesday. Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, dropped out of the race last summer after a disappointing showing in the Ames straw poll, and quickly endorsed Romney. At the time, there was talk that Romney’s campaign would help Pawlenty’s retire its debt, then in the...

As the team on Gov. Pawlenty’s now concluded presidential campaign works to recoup a campaign debt of some half-million dollars, their fingers have begun pointing toward the campaign’s manager, Nick Ayers, as the person to blame for the decisions that put the campaign into debt — and, by many accounts, as simply an unpleasant human being to work with. “I would blame him 100 percent for racking up the debt,” said one senior staff member of the Pawlenty campaign. Ayers declined to weigh in on that statement, or any of the others made in this story. “I believe a campaign...

He may have dropped out of the running for the presidency, but Tim Pawlenty isn't sitting on the sidelines - the former presidential candidate has endorsed Mitt Romney for president... "There's one candidate in this race who's unmatched in his skills and experience and talent when it comes to turning around this economy and growing jobs, and that's Mitt Romney," Pawlenty said. "I believe he's going to be our party's nominee, and I think he's going to be a transformational and great president for this country." Romney's private sector experience, Pawlenty said, was a deciding factor in his endorsement, along...

While the presidential horserace will consume much of the political media’s attention over the next year, muted Running Mate Match Game speculation is already underway. One figure that generates a disproportionate amount of discussion on this front is Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Despite a series of public demurrals, Rubio-for-VP buzz is unlikely to dissipate any time soon. In Rubio, Republicans have a gifted politician, a very effective communicator, and someone who has earned near-universal admiration among conservatives. He also hails from a critical swing state, and could almost single-handedly put a coveted and growing demographic into play, virtually overnight. Rubio...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday definitively ruled out a 2012 campaign for the U.S. Senate after ending his Republican bid for the White House a few days ago. Some Republicans, including state GOP chairman Tony Sutton, were hoping Pawlenty would get right back into the ring and take on freshman Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar next year. "I don't know what I will be doing next," Pawlenty said in an email to The Associated Press. "However, I will not be running against Amy in 2012."

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination this week, will not take on Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in 2012. Pawlenty told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he did not know what his future plans would be, but he would “not be running against Amy in 2012.” Pawlenty told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that he was ending his presidential campaign after placing third in the Ames straw poll in Iowa the day before. “I wish it would have been different. But, obviously, the pathway forward for me doesn’t really exist....

Story to Follow Breaking News Alert Only from Fox at 850h on TeeVee...

Bachman bests Paul. Pawlenty third. Romney fourth. Works for me!

Broadcast on: FOXNews Broadcast time: 9pm EDT/6pm PDT The Candidates: Michele Bachmann Bachmann is serving her 3rd full term in the U.S. House. Founder of the House Tea Party Caucus, she earned a Master of Laws degree, worked as a tax attorney, and was a foster mother for 23 teenagers. She is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Herman Cain Cain is the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He lost the Georgia Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat in 2004. He was recently...

… Participants: Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich Date/Time: Thursday, August 11th – 9pm EST / 8pm CST on the Fox News Channel ...

Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty continued his focus on reports that Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann suffers from serious migraines, saying Friday that his campaign is not “pushing” the story. “I checked with our staff,” Mr. Pawlenty said Friday. “They said they did not push the Bachmann story. In fact they reminded me that the sources for the story were her, apparently, her former staff.” Mr. Pawlenty’s comment comes just days after The Daily Caller reported the story, citing sources close to Ms. Bachmann. “All of the candidates I think are going to have to be able to demonstrate they can...

Tim Pawlenty’s campaign manager yesterday sent out an e-mail outlining Pawlenty’s accomplishments and assuring supporters that the former Minnesota governor’s fan club will continue to grow, while enthusiasm for other candidates — most implicitly, Michele Bachmann — will fade.“In 2008, voters elected a member of Congress with no executive experience. We can’t afford the cost of inexperience any longer, and Iowans are getting that,” Ayers wrote. “[A]s more Republican primary voters start to tune in to the race, they are finding out that the governor’s record and message will stand the test [of] a brutal campaign. Other candidates’ records (or...

Tim Pawlenty manager Nick Ayers sent a blast email today to supporters making the case why Iowans will rally to the former Minnesota governor and Michele Bachmann will fade. After reiterating Pawlenty's accomplishments in St. Paul, Ayers wrote: "This doesn't make great fodder for cable news but as more Republican primary voters start to tune in to the race, they are finding out that the Governor’s record and message will stand the test a brutal campaign. Other candidates’ records (or lack thereof), and plans for the future (or lack thereof) won't." The manager also claimed they "had a record week...

Pawlenty Lowers Expectations, So He Can Beat Them By MICHAEL D. SHEAR July 21, 2011, 7:19 am There was a time not too long ago when Tim Pawlenty was actively positioning himself as the No. 2 heavyweight in the Republican presidential race of 2012 and the obvious alternative to the front-runner, Mitt Romney. Not so much anymore. Now, with national polls showing him stalled at the bottom of the pack, Mr. Pawlenty and his staff are busy trying to lower expectations for the former Minnesota governor. The new Tim Pawlenty has his sights set on placing “sixth or seventh” in...

Pawlenty once praised Bachmann's “leadership” and "guts" By Christian Heinze - 07/14/11 06:00 AM ET Despite his recent remarks that Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-Minn.) record in Congress is “non-existent," Tim Pawlenty praised her “leadership,” “guts,” and “persistence” at a fundraising dinner last year. He gushed over his Republican rival for the presidential nomination in March 2010 at a fundraising dinner for the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortions rights. “I can give a personal testimony only to what you already know and what you are witnessing on television and the halls of Congress and in advocacy all...

Last week Tim Pawlenty was reluctant to criticize Representative Michele Bachmann, a fellow Minnesotan and one of his chief rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, saying in an interview only that “everybody brings different strengths to the table.” But now, that reluctance appears to be waning. In an interview Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC, and again on Fox News on Monday morning, Mr. Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor, derided Mrs. Bachmann’s record as a member of Congress and her lack of executive experience. “I like Congresswoman Bachmann,” Mr. Pawlenty said on NBC. “I’ve campaigned for her. I respect...