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Pawlenty crosses into Huckabee's territory
His speech at a GOP dinner in Arkansas tonight marks the third high-profile Republican visit to the state.
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Tim Pawlenty is stepping onto Mike Huckabee's turf.
With speculation that he is considering a run for the White House in 2012, the Minnesota governor is headlining a fundraiser for Arkansas Republicans in Little Rock tonight. Pawlenty's visit makes him the third high-profile Republican to visit the home state of Huckabee, the former governor who surprised many with his strong showing in last year's battle for the GOP presidential nomination.
Pawlenty's speech at the state GOP's annual Governor's Dinner follows a visit to Arkansas in February by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, widely considered a potential 2012 candidate. Last year's speaker was South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who had been considered a potential candidate before he confirmed this week that he had an affair with a woman in Argentina.
Huckabee said this week that he didn't view the visits by potential GOP candidates as an encroachment on his turf. "Heavens no," he said in an interview in Louisville, Ky., on Monday. "They're my friends and colleagues. In fact I did a welcome video for Governor Pawlenty."
The Minnesotan said he considers Huckabee a good friend and that he doesn't view his trip as stepping into Huckabee's back yard.
He said it's too soon for him to even view Huckabee as a potential rival for the 2012 nomination. "I haven't decided anything about my future, and I suspect he hasn't either," Pawlenty said Thursday.
With the political and personal problems of Sanford and Nevada Sen. John Ensign, who last week also acknowledged an affair, pundits seized on the potential implications for the 2012 presidential race.
Some takes published about Pawlenty in the past day:
• Los Angeles Times: "Perhaps the most promising newcomer on the Republican side is Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty."
• New York Times: "[Other Republicans'] troubles have served to improve the prospects of other contenders who have generally stayed out of the spotlight this year, or have ventured into it only gingerly, like former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi."
• Washington Post: "The elimination (or close to it) of Ensign and Sanford as 2012 candidate helps candidates like Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as it effectively narrows the field and creates more oxygen -- in the press, in money circles, in the talent race -- for them."
Staff writer Bob von Sternberg contributed to this report.
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
Minnesota's political giants: Learn more about the men and women who have shaped Minnesota's political history.
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