Pawlenty helps out GOP friend on hot seat

RICHMOND, VA. - Just before he arrived in the heart of Virginia to stump for the gubernatorial candidate here, Gov. Tim Pawlenty found that the road to national politics can turn bumpy.

It turns out that Virginia's Republican gubernatorial candidate, Bob McDonnell, has come under fire for earlier remarks and writings about homosexuality and feminism that put both politicians on a bit of a hot seat Wednesday.

Pawlenty, who traveled here to lend a little oomph to McDonnell's gubernatorial bid, stood by, quiet and expressionless, as McDonnell was pelted with questions by reporters about past statements regarding homosexuality and earlier writings in which he said that working women undermined the family and government should favor married couples over "cohabitators, homosexuals, or fornicators."

Pawlenty, a fiscal and social conservative, has never gone that far and went to lengths on Wednesday to tell reporters that McDonnell had "evolved" since those writings and that he himself has always supported working women.

"Bob has said that the campaign is about the future not about the past and that his thinking on those issues has evolved and he has disclaimed those comments," Pawlenty said as he left the event. Pawlenty, whose wife, First Lady Mary Pawlenty, is a lawyer and former Dakota County District Court judge, added that he personally supports "women making whatever career choices they would like in whatever setting they would like."

As Pawlenty continues to stump across the country -- he appeared in Hackensack, N.J., last week for a Republican gubernatorial candidate there -- he is acutely aware that both states are seen as critical tests of GOP strength heading into next year's midterm elections. A win in either state, he said, could create "a sense of momentum or affirmation for the rest of the country when we come into the 2010 elections."

Visit draws DNC fire

"If he doesn't agree with these extreme views, then why is he [Pawlenty] rallying for [McDonnell] and raising money for him?" asked Donna Cassutt, DFL Party associate chair, in a news conference with the Democratic National Committee. Cassutt accused Pawlenty of trying to curry favor with Republican Party conservatives whose support he would need in a run for president.

In addition to his 1989 master's thesis that criticized working women, gays and contraception for unmarried couples, McDonnell came under fresh fire Wednesday in a front-page Washington Post story that detailed his 2003 questioning of a Circuit Court judge reappointee, in which he said that "certain homosexual conduct" could disqualify a judicial candidate.

McDonnell has said that he should be judged on his career as a legislator and state attorney general. But Richard Cranwell, chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia and a former Virginia legislator, said McDonnell is attempting to recast his political image.

"The Bob McDonnell I served with is far more in line with the McDonnell [thesis] than the McDonnell I see on the campaign trail," Cranwell said.

Appearing at a closed-door, $2,500-per-plate luncheon fundraiser, Pawlenty spoke primarily about the economy and his achievements in Minnesota.

"I tell you what, I saw a very talented man," Girard said afterward. "And I can see him on a larger stump. I actually was thinking that as I was listening to him."

Pawlenty aide Alex Conant said Pawlenty has been fielding numerous requests to lend his support to campaigns across the country.

As he left the Marriott in downtown Richmond, Pawlenty was asked by a national reporter whether he had ever penned a similar thesis in college. Pawlenty quickly said he had not, but quipped that if he had, "I'm sure it would have been on pro-job growth strategies or something."