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Depending on who you speak to, or whom you believe, Minnesota
just might have its third Vice President of the United States. The
first two, Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter “Fritz” Mondale, were
Democrats. If one believes what some of the political pontiffs are
saying, current Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty will be the third.
With Mitt Romney pulling out of the race, it’s all but a done deal that
Sen. John McCain will receive the Republican nomination. And if Sen.
Hillary Clinton receives the Democratic nomination, many Independents
and middle of the road moderates just might support the Republican
candidate.
Speculation that Pawlenty has been posturing himself to be McCain’s
running mate has been heard for nearly a year. When Pawlenty made his
famous promise “no new taxes” and then backed it up with veto after
veto (several of which angered many staunch Republicans) during the
last legislative session, many in St. Paul were convinced Gov. Tim had
higher aspirations. It appeared as if the Governor of the Land of
10,000 Lakes was putting his own political future ahead of the people
of Minnesota.
And during the past six months, when our Governor was jetting all over
the country, stumping for McCain, and serving as his campaign co-chair,
it became more and more obvious that Gov. Tim does indeed have his
sights set on a higher office.
But would Gov. Tim make a good running mate for McCain? At first
glance, I say yes. McCain just turned 71 years old, and the run for the
White House has aged him considerably. Pawlenty, on the other hand, is
a youthful 47. McCain is from the Southwest, while Pawlenty is from the
Midwest. McCain is a Baptist, while Pawlenty was raised as a Roman
Catholic and embraced the Lutheran faith as an adult.
McCain has spent his entire life in the public sector. His father was a
Navy admiral. McCain was schooled at the Naval Academy and served in
the U.S. Navy for nearly 25 years. He has been a member of Congress for
25 years, first as a Representative, and later as a Senator.
Pawlenty, on the other hand, grew up in the private sector. His father
was a truck driver, and Pawlenty earned a law degree from the U of
Minnesota. He spent nearly 10 years in private practice as a labor law
attorney.
Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? Ying and Yang. They cover just about every spectrum.
But here’s the down side:
McCain got beat up badly in Minnesota during the recent caucuses by
Mitt Romney (41% to 22%). Even with his campaign co-chair as the
sitting Governor, McCain failed miserably with Minnesota
Republicans.
A recent Fox Network poll indicated that 35 percent of Minnesotans
polled said Pawlenty’s presence on the Republican ticket would make
them less likely to vote Republican. Thirty percent said his nominee
would make no difference, while only 29 percent said they would be more
inclined to support a ticket with Pawlenty on it.
While Pawlenty endorsed McCain, top Minnesota Republicans not only
didn’t follow his lead, but dramatically splintered. Sen. Norm Coleman
endorsed Rudy Giuliani, House Minority leader Marty Seifert endorsed
Fred Thompson, Republican National Committee member Brian Sullivan
endorsed Mitt Romney, and state Republican Chair Ron Carey endorsed
Mike Huckabee.
Since Pawlenty was elected Governor, the Republicans have lost 43
legislative seats and four state-wide races- Rep. Mark Kennedy lost his
bid in the U.S. Senate race, and incumbents Rep. Gil Gutknecht,
Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, and State Auditor Patricia Anderson
all failed in their re-election bids.
There’s also a downside if Gov. Tim runs with McCain and wins. We’d
have Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau running the state. Judging from her track
record of overseeing the Department of Transportation, that doesn’t
sound too appealing.
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