Pawlenty plays to youth on 'Daily Show'

NEW YORK - Less than a minute after Gov. Tim Pawlenty sat down across from Jon Stewart Thursday night, "The Daily Show" host popped the presidential question: Is the Minnesota governor running?

"I am going to run for president," Pawlenty said, then paused for a moment. "Of my youth soccer league."

Stewart pressed Pawlenty on his presidential ambitions, his views on the role of government and why he vetoed Minnesota's bong water bill during an extended interview that was both funny and substantive. Pawlenty played it straight most of the time, letting Stewart crack the majority of the jokes, but he picked his spots and got Stewart's young, liberal audience to laugh at several points.

"It was fun, and this is a chance to reach an audience that's young," Pawlenty told the Star Tribune after his appearance Thursday. "We get to talk some issues, have some fun and reach an audience that normally doesn't pay that much attention."

Pawlenty's appearance on "The Daily Show" Thursday, a ritual among presidential hopefuls, was the governor's latest attempt to raise his national profile as he gears up for a possible 2012 presidential run. While Pawlenty is still polling in single digits among potential GOP candidates, going toe-to-toe with political satirists like Stewart can help him carve out a unique place in the GOP as a fresh face who could siphon away younger voters from President Obama.

Many audience members who attended the taping said that Pawlenty came off well and was likeable, even if they disagreed with his politics.

"He was personable," said Benjamin Deull, 22. "He seemed nice enough, though I didn't agree with anything he said."

"I always have the respect of conservative politicians who come on 'The Daily Show,' because they know they might get contentious questions," she said. "If you're coming on the show, I know you're at least interested in my vote. At least you're trying to make the effort."

Pawlenty, wearing a blue button-down shirt with a sport coat and jeans, made an effort to play to the young audience, talking about the future of an "iCollege" that would be more efficient than the current university system. He wasn't afraid to make jokes about the bong water bill he vetoed, asking Stewart, "Did you ever drink bong water?"

Stewart did make political points against Pawlenty that drew cheers from his audience, such as when he said former President George W. Bush was responsible for the high deficit. For the most part, however, the two men remained friendly throughout the interview. Stewart filmed two segments, one for Thursday's show and an extended interview for "The Daily Show" website.

While Pawlenty said after the show that he tried to play it straight and let Stewart be funny, the governor might have gotten the biggest laugh of the night. Pawlenty was explaining to Stewart why he was on the fence about running for president and said that in today's environment, politicians often need some kind of shtick or gimmick to get noticed.

"I don't have a big shtick," Pawlenty said.