Monday morning, Gov. Tim Pawlenty told reporters that he'd, "started a federal PAC, which is geared toward trying to help candidates in 2010."
But in the first three months of operation Freedom First, his political action committee, most PAC money has gone toward helping the PAC -- not candidates.
According to the first federal campaign filing from the PAC, Pawlenty spent $395,831 between October 2009 and the end of the year. Candidates' take? $16,800
On Tuesday, Pawlenty acknowledged he hadn't ponied up much for 2010 candidates -- yet:
"We certainly used part of the PAC proceeds to support other candidates but we also have a Web site. So, we have to have people to develop the Web site, develop issue and policy positions, travel to speak to issues. So, the value of the PAC is not just to give donations to other campaigns. That's part of it. But we're trying to raise awareness around issues, organize people around values and principles and issues, get them to read and sign up about the PAC and do issue development. So there's a lot of other aspects to the PACs than just giving out checks to campaigns."
Despite the lopsided spending, Pawlenty denied the PAC's true purpose was to support a potential Pawlenty for President bid in 2012. He said his giving was in range with others' PACs and he hoped to increase his gifts to candidates in the future.
"I'm not saying the majority of the money is going to go to contributions," Pawlenty said Tuesday. "I think you'll see that some portion of the money, over time, will go to contributions but a good chunk will be used to go to all those other purposes."
Pawlenty's high operating, low contribution rate isn't unusual. In the first three months of last year, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney's PAC spent more than $550,000 and gave only $16,000 to candidates and in the last three months of last year, former VP nominee Sarah Palin's PAC spent more money on
