Rumor has it that Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is moving up the ranks in the search for a Republican VP. Pawlenty was on John McCain’s shortlist in 2008 prior to McCain blessing us with Sarah Palin.
Tim Pawlenty is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, served two terms as governor of Minnesota, and made a brief presidential run in 2011. Since dropping out of the race, he has been on the trail pushing Romney into the spotlight.
Aside from mere rumor of Pawlenty becoming the Republican VP, multiple liberal super PACs have been researching him in anticipation of Pawlenty getting the call. Apparently they have found a little dirt on the Republican VP candidate.
The research that has been presented so far is relatively innocuous, the juiciest bit of information being a fine slapped on his gubernatorial campaign for improper coordination with the state party.
What I’m looking forward to is the selection of the Republican VP candidate. The announcement has been a long time coming at this point and it seems that Romney could use a bump in the polls.
That extra kick from the Republican VP candidate might be less than hoped for with Pawlenty on the ticket. The former governor has a commendable record, but he lacks the charisma necessary to pull in new voters.
Tim Pawlenty is not going to be a great magnet for moderate voters that Republicans hope their VP choice would be. But he is also not the risky choice that Palin was in 2008. Going with the boring white guy, former governor is a safe play for the Romney campaign. Not having a whole lot of skeletons in his closet also helps.
When the decision is made, expect a safe play, expect plenty of hype, and expect to be bored by the Republican VP candidate.