Pawlenty to join other governors in meeting with Obama

Updated: November 25, 2008 - 10:14 PM

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty has a date with President-elect Barack Obama next week.

Obama's transition team announced Tuesday that a bipartisan group of governors will meet with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden in Philadelphia on Tuesday to discuss the effect of the nation's economic crisis on states and their budgets.

Although the transition office didn't specify which governors have been invited, Pawlenty's spokesman confirmed that the Minnesota governor was among them.

The meeting will be hosted by National Governors Association chairman Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, and vice chairman Jim Douglas, the governor of Vermont.

Pawlenty preceded Rendell as the association's chairman, which raised his profile at the same time he was attracting national attention as a prominent surrogate for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

In the aftermath of the election, Pawlenty has kept a lower profile but has occasionally discussed the Republican Party's future prospects in the wake of its losses on Nov. 4.

Most recently, speaking on Fox News Monday, Pawlenty said Obama "should be given some breathing space" while also calling on the president-elect to postpone any of his planned tax increases.

A statement from Obama's office said next week's meeting will focus on "the unique challenges facing our states during this economic crisis."

BOB VON Sternberg