Pawlenty pitch for Emmer

In a new ad released by the Minnesota Republican Party, current Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, made his pitch for current Republican gubernatorial nominee, Tom Emmer.

Emmer has made clear that he isn't running as a Pawlenty clone and has oft said Minnesota needs a new direction.

"I'm not running as Tim Pawlenty, this is Tom Emmer," Emmer said Tuesday.

But that doesn't mean some Pawlenty help would hurt -- Pawlenty's still popular with about half of Minnesotans.

The GOP's ad, the first one Pawlenty has cut for Emmer, mimics the theme Emmer-supporting groups have pushed of late -- Independence Party's Tom Horner and DFLers Mark Dayton would both raise taxes and Emmer wouldn't.

"The choice is clear: Minnesota needs Tom Emmer," Pawlenty says in the ad.

Minnesota's Future released an ad Thursday that said, "You have one good choice: Tom Emmer."

"No matter which Tom you pick you still end up with Tim," said an ad from the Alliance for a Better Minnesota.

A Minnesota AFL-CIO mailing called Horner, "just like Tom Emmer -- an anti-worker corporate, sell-out."

Of course, Horner, who has drawn third place in all public polls, has pitched himself as like neither Democrats nor Republicans.

Here's the new Republican Party ad:

The transcript: