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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

The Fix: It makes little sense for Pawlenty to run for gov if he runs in 2012

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The Fix gives some analysis and perspective on why Gov. Pawlenty may delay signing an election certificate declaring Al Franken the winner of the U.S. Senate race. The reason: It helps him with the GOP base. He also wrote that it makes little sense for him to run for a third term:

That said, if Pawlenty wants to be a serious contender for president in 2012, it makes little sense for him to run for reelection as he narrowly escaped defeat in 2006 against a lackluster Democratic nominee (former state Attorney General Mike Hatch) and, given Minnesota's decided shift toward Democrats in recent elections, it's hard to imagine his odds at a third term would be any better than 50-50. A loss in 2010 would doom him for 2012 -- see: Allen, George.