Minnesota GOP lets Pawlenty ?decompress,? plans 2012 Senate ask (The Ticket)

Pawlenty (Hannah/Foslien/AP)

Many Tim Pawlenty fans are disappointed that the former Minnesota governor is out of the 2012 presidential race.

But, back home, leaders of the state Republican party are looking on the bright side--Pawlenty is now free for a Senate run.

"Perhaps the nation's loss is Minnesota's gain," party chairman Tony Sutton told The Ticket. Sutton, who first talked up a Pawlenty bid to Minnesota Public Radio Monday, said he's hopeful Pawlenty will enter the 2012 Senate race against Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar, even though Pawlenty slapped down that suggestion this weekend. "I won't be running against Klobuchar in 2012," Pawlenty told the Star-Tribune.

But Sutton is busy strategizing.

The chairman said he's well aware that if you asked Pawlenty just after he decided to end his presidential campaign, "he'd probably say 'no'" to a Senate race. But Sutton is thinking long-term.

Sutton confirmed that he hasn't spoken officially with Pawlenty about a challenge to Klobuchar--but he also says that he will, in good time. "I'm going to give it a couple weeks or a month and let him decompress," Sutton said of the former governor. "But, I will try to reach out soon. I want to give the guy some space."

Sutton said he would relish the chance to contrast Pawlenty with Klobuchar by casting the Democrat as a "lapdog" for President Obama and Pawlenty as a successful governor who balanced a budget without raising taxes.

Sutton wouldn't say whether he's planning to approach Pawlenty because the present roster of would-be Klobuchar challengers?is thin on name recognition. Instead, Sutton said it's simply his job to seek out "as many good candidates" as he can--and that Pawlenty "has a really good way of communicating with Minnesotans."

And what about a Senate bid from Minnesota's other presidential aspirant, Michele Bachmann? Sutton cheered that prospect as well on Monday, but added, "I don't think anyone thinks that's going to happen." This weekend, Bachmann won the Ames straw poll in Iowa--an indication of her growing appeal among party activists.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110815/el_yblog_theticket/minnesota-gop-lets-pawlenty-decompress-plans-2012-senate-ask

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