Governor Pawlenty to announce his future plans at 2 pm
And all signs point to his future plans being an exploratory committee for Pawlenty 2012, rather than seeking a third term as governor.
What does this change for Minnesota? We now have a completely open governor’s race in 2010. There will be no GOP incumbent in a state that has been trending less and less Republican-friendly over the last few election cycles. Obvious front runners for the GOP nomination are Minority Leader Marty Seifert, former Senator Norm Coleman (who may be too much damaged goods at this point in the never-ending contest saga), GOP activist Brian Sullivan, who lost to Pawlenty in 2000.
But it’s the not so obvious that could be interesting. Is Rep. Michele Bachmann interested in Governor, or has her national media campaign showed her hand in possibly running for senate against Sen. Amy Klobuchar? Is Minnesota Majority just an action group, or a way to get Mary Kiffmeyer back in the spotlight after losing Secretary of State to Mark Ritchie. And what ever happened to the Lieutenant Governor Molnau? Is she even around anymore?
This announcement will also lead to an onslaught of new DFL candidates. No one will want to let an open election go by without taking a swing. If Speaker Kelliher is interested, expect to hear from her in the next two weeks. She’ll want to be up and running before the 4th of July.
