WASHINGTON (CNN) – Tim Pawlenty is joining the PAC club.
In another indication that he may be interested in running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, the Minnesota governor will launch a political action committee in the next few weeks.
The "Freedom First PAC" will allow Pawlenty to raise cash and donate the money to federal and state candidates across the country.
Alex Conant, an unofficial adviser to Pawlenty, says the first fundraiser will be held in Minnesota in a few weeks. Conant, a former press secretary for the Republican National Committee, says the PAC is another way for Pawlenty to help GOP candidates who are seeking election.
When Minnesota governor announced earlier this year that he would not run for re-election in 2010, he said that along with finishing his term, assisting fellow Republicans would be one of his priorities.
Since then, Pawlenty was elected vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and has campaigned for the GOP gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia, the two states that hold gubernatorial elections this November.
Pawlenty has been increasingly visible this summer. He was was one of the main speakers at a Republican National Committee conference in San Diego in July, the keynote speaker at a Republican Party of Florida dinner in August, and a speaker last weekend at the Value Voters Summit in Washington. Next month, Pawlenty is slated to be one of the headliners at the Western Conservative Political Action Conference in San Diego.
"Pawlenty will be a serious candidate for the Republican presidential nomination if he chooses to run in 2012," said CNN Political Editor Mark Preston. "He has an impressive resume and is well liked by the conservative base. He was smart to spend part of the summer criss-crossing the country helping his fellow Republicans raise money. Those are chits he might be able to cash in later."
With the startup of his PAC, Pawlenty now joins Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin as possible 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls who have political action committees.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also raises money through his political organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future, which is incorporated as a 527 group, and is not subject to the same contribution limits as political action committees. Unlike PACs, 527s can also directly accept funds from corporations but are barred from directly contributing to a candidate or financing a potential White House bid.
From CNN Politics
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Since all of you birth-baggers have so much money to give to your pathetic anti-American hero Wilson, why not give a few more pennies to this up-and-comming mullah of your christo-fascist [R] cabal?
Let all these GOP CLOWNS run for President, there is NO WAY IN HELL they even have a shot!!! We have you outnumbered for another Landslide Victory!!! OBAMA 2012, CLINTON 2016, 2020.
I love how the Republicans always throw around the word Freedom when, in my lifetime, never has more of my freedom been stripped from me than when the Bushies and the Republicans were running the country. At some point their constituents have to request some sort of accountability.
Oh yeah, and this guy is not presidential material.
It is easy to get excited about the 2012 election, since we have so many great possiblities to win. We have a just cause as always, and we have a mission possible to 'flip this house' in 2010, and refurbish the Presidency in 2012. Thanks to the greatness and patriotism of people like Tim Pawlenty, this is a done deed indeed!
If he is going to run for president then I suggest the best security he can find for his family immediately. There are a lot of liberal Democrats out there, and their documented desire to inflict at the very least harm on the Palin family is testiment that they are the most dangerous and evil people this nation has ever seen. We also have a president that is so far to the left, that if he did get re-elected, the person who took out the family and/or his conservative opponent would surely recieve a pardon. This has been proven with their reaction to the ACORN story, Van Jones, plants at tea parties ETC.
He's tight with big insurance executives....that's where he'll get his $$....what a joke!
T-Paw doesn't stand a chance.
tim is a lightweight – Joe on MSNBC grilled him and made time look like an idiot. Which he probably is.
ther ya go...............................................pawlenty/palin......of course that would have to be the order of the ticket although she would like her name first...............
but think of what tina fey could do with this ticket............plenty of palin,etc..........or pal'n palenty......or.......................oh gee.......
ya that'l work.....now if only romney would give all the $ he can .........
ANYONE EVER HEAR OF " SEPARATION OF CHURCH N STATE " ?
how dare the religious right buy the presidency or try to get into office by money backed by religious freaks!
Tim Pawlenty has been coming all unhinged ever since he started pandering to the radical right wing of the confused Republican Party.
He's totally unqualified to lead anyone in our country.
Too bad.
Now of they can win over minority voters becasue they pander too much to the far right.
He is so so boring and will just make the 2012 election not interesting.
Which Pawlenty? The moderate or the wingnut mini-romney that has no true convictions?
CNN please, I have heard Plenty about Pawlenty.
Pawlenty is the best the Republicans can come up with??? Well Republicans, you have til 2012 to find some other strong candidates. Don't give up, there is hope for you guys! Being out of touch with issues may help you Republicans make better choices in the future.