Republicans in particular face the challenge of discerning what role Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who isn't seeking a third term, will play as the race progresses.
By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: August 21, 2009
More than a dozen candidates to be Minnesota's next governor are hustling across the state for support this summer -- so many that one joked they should simply carpool.
Yet the role of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, particularly in pushing the chances of the Republicans trying to succeed him, remains unclear.
At a soggy picnic in Roseville this week, one Republican gubernatorial candidate after another talked to the crowd without ever mentioning Pawlenty, the two-term Republican they all have said they admire.
DFL candidate Matt Entenza said Pawlenty has already fundamentally changed the race by deciding not to enter it, a move Entenza said made the overall campaign "considerably less expensive." He estimated that had Pawlenty sought reelection the race for governor would have approached $10 million.
These are the early, but important, days of a race where the election is still 15 months away. On any given weeknight and weekend, a not-so-small gang of Republicans and DFLers crisscrosses Minnesota, moving from political breakfasts to private fundraising dinners in an often-lonely journey to gain political traction. In the coming months, the field will inevitably decrease as many candidates, realizing the odds, bow out.
The pace can be demanding. Schedulers for Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, had him speaking in Minneapolis on Thursday night, appearing Friday afternoon at a county fair in Alexandria and then finishing the day at a DFL picnic in Glenwood. Today, he began with an early morning appearance at another county fair in Owatonna and by noon was scheduled to be at a second DFL picnic, this time in Burnsville. Marty said the candidates -- including himself -- are "like a swarm of bees" these days.
For the Republicans, the campaign has an added challenge: how to sell themselves as independent from Pawlenty, while making sure they have the support of a governor who remains popular within his party. Conversely, the Republicans also have to cope with how much time Pawlenty, who is crisscrossing the country in pursuit of his national political ambitions, will devote to get them elected.
"None of us are Tim Pawlenty," said Rep. Paul Kohls, R-Victoria, after finishing a 10-minute speech at the Roseville picnic. As his opponents took their turns in front of the microphone, Kohls added, "I wouldn't read too much" into the fact that he and others did not mention the governor during their speeches. "I don't think any of us want to be Tim Pawlenty. We want to be who we are," he said.
With Pawlenty largely silent on the subject, and the Republican endorsing convention not until next year, the lobbying for the governor's support has been muted.
"I'm trying to give him breathing room," said former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, another gubernatorial candidate. "You can't be putting pressure on someone ... when you've got all of his friends running for governor at the same time."
Seifert said he introduced Pawlenty at a rally recently in Redwood Falls and said the governor said "some very kind things about me." But Seifert also acknowledged that relations between Republicans in the Legislature and Pawlenty, who has sailed his own course politically, have been hard to define. Asked whether they had been less than ideal, Seifert responded: "It depends what your definition of ideal is.
"What's the word [to describe the relationship]? I don't have a thesaurus with me," said Seifert, who resigned as House minority leader to run for governor.
Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, another gubernatorial candidate, said the Republicans obviously would welcome Pawlenty's endorsement.
As Emmer and Kohls stood together at a rally this week, Emmer joked that the race for Pawlenty's endorsement was well underway. "I hear Kohls has been kissing [up to Pawlenty] for about three weeks now," said Emmer, smiling.
"My lips are right here, Tom," said Kohls, laughing.
Pawlenty's role
But Emmer also turned serious. "We're not running with Tim Pawlenty. We're not running for Tim Pawlenty," he said. "Tim is great, and he's done a great job. [But] you're going to have to stand on your own ... message."
Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton said Pawlenty will play a large role in the party's quest to retain the governor's office. "Governor Pawlenty is going to be a big part -- his record is going to be a big part -- of our message," he said. "My expectation is he'll be fully engaged in the governor's race."
Former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger, a Republican, said he is not so sure. "What happens in Minnesota is not going to be of great concern to him," Durenberger said.
If circumstances were changed and Republicans held majorities at the Legislature and elsewhere in the state, he said, Pawlenty might be more inclined to help "because they could be helpful to him" as he seeks a larger national profile.
"I doubt if he's going to use the weight of [the governor's] office ... to try to get one or the other of that list of candidates elected in Minnesota," he added. "I'm just not sure that he's driven by saving Minnesota from the Democrats."
Distracted by other matters
While they have their own crowded race, DFLers said that Republicans running for governor would likely need to try to separate themselves from Pawlenty at some point, especially during a general election campaign.
"I think they'd be wise to be a little careful," said Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, a candidate himself. "Because what you don't want to do is hand the Democrats the issue [of], 'Well, here's four more years of the same.'"
For now, said Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel, another Republican candidate for governor, the focus should not be on Pawlenty.
"I'd just as soon see him fairly hands off,'' said Jungbauer. While agreeing that "we all would love" to have Pawlenty's backing, Jungbauer added that he has differed at times with the governor. "I think he's made some wrong decisions," he said.
"[But] I think he'd be a heckuva great president," Jungbauer added.
Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
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