Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., burnishing her consumer protection credentials, is taking aim at Toyota Corp. and what she says may be its overly intimate relationship with the federal agency charged with regulating the embattled company.

In a letter to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) head David Strickland, Klobuchar called for a close look at the ties between Toyota and Strickland's agency, which enforces safety standards for automakers.

"Since coming to the Senate, I have been troubled by the close relationship between some of our nation's safety agencies and the industries they regulate," Klobuchar wrote in a letter. "Too many times, this relationship has led to a revolving door between government regulators and the industries they oversee. That many NHTSA employees ultimately work for the car manufacturers they once investigated reveals cause for concern."

An NHTSA spokeswoman declined a request for comment Tuesday.

Klobuchar's office did not respond to a request for names, but recent news reports, citing court documents, point to Christopher Tinto, Toyota's vice president of regulatory affairs, and Christopher Santucci, who works for Tinto. Both men joined Toyota directly from the NHTSA, and reportedly helped end investigations by the agency.

The Commerce Committee, on which Klobuchar serves, will hold a hearing March 2 to review reports of uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

Since 2000, there have been 34 alleged fatalities related to unintended acceleration in Toyota products. Since January, Toyota has recalled 7.7 million cars and trucks nationwide because of safety problems.

Klobuchar's letter cites the case of Jeff Pepski, a Minnesotan who safely guided his Lexus to a stop after experiencing a "dramatic, unintended acceleration." Pepski told Klobuchar that he reported his experience to NHTSA in February 2009, but that NHTSA accepted Toyota's explanation of misplaced floor mats rather than possible engineering defects.

KEVIN DIAZ

Hann drops out of guv race

State Sen. David Hann, an Eden Prairie Republican who has been running for governor since last summer, dropped out of the race Tuesday, saying he wouldn't have won his party's endorsement.

"It just didn't look very likely that we would be able to make sufficient progress," he said. With no DFL opposition for his seat in sight, Hann says he will seek a third term in the Senate.

Hann's departure further narrows the Republican field to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Hann said he's talked to the two leading GOP candidates, Reps. Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert, but says he has made no commitment to either one.

RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER

This drink's on T-Paw

Pawlenty hosts another Washington event focused on young Republicans on Friday, with a name suited for the GenY crowd: "LATENight with T-Paw." T-Paw followers will recall the well-attended but far less seductive "Pretzels and Pints" event several months ago that garnered a hefty crowd of young staffers near Union Station.

But unlike P&P, this "LATENight" will kick off the weekend for most staffers -- start time is 9 p.m. A $50 contribution gets them access to an open beer and wine bar at Gin + Tonic, just north of Georgetown.

Pawlenty will still be fresh from his morning address at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

As with the last event, Minnesota's Republican lawmakers on the Hill are a part of the host committee. That includes Reps. Michele Bachmann, Erik Paulsen and John Kline, all of whom were dubbed "young GOP members of Congress from Minnesota" by The Hill newspaper's website on Tuesday. Ahem, Kline is 62 -- and Bachmann is 53.

ERIC ROPER