Former Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty told a CNN interviewer on Tuesday he was “focusing on running for president” but was not ready to make a formal announcement.
Asked whether, hypothetically, he would consider being vice president with someone like Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, Pawlenty replied: “I’m running for president. I’m not putting my hat in the ring rhetorically or ultimately for vice president. So I’m focused on running for president.”
But asked if he was making a formal announcement, Pawlenty responded: “I’ve got an exploratory committee up and running and we’ll have a final or full announcement on that in the coming weeks, and it won’t be too much longer. But everything is headed in that direction.”
Before the “Piers Morgan Tonight” show aired, CNN ran excerpts from the interview, including the “I’m running for president” quote, without showing Pawlenty’s explanation there would be a later announcement. That prompted a Pawlenty aide to deny he had made an official announcement.
“Of course he didn’t announce tonight,” Pawlenty spokesman Alex Conant said.
“(The) governor has said this many times before. He is not running to be anybody’s vice president,” Conant said. “He will have a formal announcement about running for president later this spring.”
Trump, a real estate mogul and reality TV star, tied with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee for first place, at 19 percent, among a list of would-be Republican presidential contenders in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey. Pawlenty trailed far behind at 2 percent.
Pawlenty last month became the first Republican to show serious intent to run, announcing in a video on his Facebook page that he would set up a presidential exploratory committee, a formal step toward seeking his party’s nomination.
Republican Mitt Romney announced on Monday he was forming an exploratory committee to raise money for a challenge to Democratic President Barack Obama. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, made an unsuccessful bid for the party’s 2008 presidential nomination.
Copyright © 2011 Reuters
4 thoughts on “Pawlenty not running for President…yet”
Griff, I am the wicked witch of the west. I am the one born between Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. My God Father is the Wizard himself. Now bring back my ruby slippers before I tell your wife.
Ha. Not the response I thought I would get from you Sandy, but it’s a good one. Well done. Just don’t tell the wife, whatever you do. She’ll use it against me in court.
Hmmm…Not one mention of Pawlenty’s religion in the entire article.
The Christians are coming! And they’re gonna keeeellll yoooouuuu!
And your little dog too!
OMG. Every morning I take a look at politics and Trump looks better and better. Has the GOP lost it’s collective minds? Governor Romney can’t figure out whether a pro-choice or pro-life will bring in the votes. His hesitation drives me away from anyone who has not got an agenda of freedoms (for everyone). I would hope that anyone looking at Romney would first read the Book of Mormon to see the dedication to the church that would counter any action from the White House. The church is the center of the universe and I do not want America to fall into that center.
Gosh if the religious right keeps this up we will never elect a candidate for the people. Must we be driven into a new civil war? This morning on Morning Joe, Redford spoke about his new movie “The Conspirator” about the trial of Serrat after President Lincoln was shot. The focus was on a statement that the war must be forgotten and not mentioned. Hell, that is what’s wrong with America today. We must never forget the sacrifices made by both sides of this horrible war. It will lead us back into a time before civil rights and the fights will continue. This time, we have crossbreeding between the two races.
I took a college class from Arizona State University where this trial was analyzed and we all came away from that 2 week class in shock! Today with the current explosion of racism coming from the GOP many of these elephants have no concept that humans come in all colors and flavors.
Are we still searching for color, nationality and agendas with the people we meet on the street? I had my neighbor ask me my roots as she did not recognize my American accent. Santa Monica with some theater training added. Yes, I am darker than most with Scottish roots but a little Cherokee wandered in when my great great grandfather killed a family in Oklahoma and brought the baby girl home for his grandson. I have to be the offspring of this match. It was never a problem all these first 70 years of my life but now, I am suspected of having darkie blood. I don[t give a damn as my blood has been flowing in many accident victims and earthquake caused surgeries. “O Negative” goes where ever needed. I keep thinking I was born too soon for the new American tolerances but America is slipping back into the dark ages.
Why is it so difficult for Americans to realize that we are but one species. When I visited the kennel to choose a new Retriever, I had a choice of black, brown or yellow. J.J. chose the biggest boob of the litter who wandered across the grass and fell into her lap. I had lost my Dobermann after many years of love and protection and we decided to go yellow. It was not a racial decision.
Trump is a yellow lab. Do we get a world war against China with this pedigree? Does he even attend church? I have no doubt he is smart enough to learn the laws from the Constitution. Does he have the strength to defy his own ability to choose right from wrong? Would he force Christian laws on his political committes? Is he still married to a beautiful blonde? Does he diddle with interns?
Pawlenty represents nothing! Could that be an asset? Was he not affiliated with “C” Street? Hal and I did a report on the “C” Street whore house. Come back Hal, we miss you…..
What drives Pawlenty? What drives Romney? At least we know that “ratings” drive Trump.
Enjoy your day, I’m off to aerobics in water to try and get my legs working again.
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