Pawlenty promotes McCain, stops short of endorsement

Alex Wong, Getty Images For Meet The Press

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks on "Meet the Press" during a taping at the NBC studios November 12 in Washington, DC.

Last update: December 1, 2006 - 5:15 PM

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty is promoting Arizona Sen. John McCain for president in 2008, but he's stopping short of an outright endorsement.

Pawlenty appeared with McCain in south Florida this week during a gathering of Republican governors. Pawlenty told the New York Times he would support McCain if he runs for the White House.

Pawlenty campaign manager Michael Krueger said Friday that the governor is "supportive of the idea of McCain running. But there are no announced candidates, so there are not any endorsements at this point."

Minnesota will play a larger-than-usual role in the presidential race in 2008 when it plays host to the Republican National Convention.

Pawlenty will appear next week with another Arizona politician, when he travels to Phoenix for an economic competitiveness conference hosted by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano. She is the chairwoman of the National Governors Association and Pawlenty is the vice chairman.

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