Pawlenty coy on possible 2012 run

DES MOINES – Days before coming to Iowa to headline a Republican Party fundraiser, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was noncommittal about whether he would run for president but didn't shut the door to a campaign.

In recent weeks, Pawlenty has launched the Freedom First PAC, fueling speculation that he is gearing up for a presidential run in 2012.

Pawlenty appears Saturday at a Republican Party of Iowa gathering at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where he will keynote the event.

Pawlenty said he'll make a decision about his future shortly after he finishes out his current term as governor.

“But I haven't ruled anything in, and I haven't ruled anything out,” Pawlenty told Iowa reporters on a conference call Wednesday. “I really don't know the answer to what I'm going to be doing after I'm done being governor.”

Pawlenty said he will speak to issues he thinks are important for the country and on how the Republican Party and GOP candidates can do better.

He said he's learned lessons being elected and re-elected as a mainstream conservative in Minnesota, which he described as a “pretty liberal state.”

Pawlenty said he's alarmed by the rate of growth of the federal government, its spending and debt.

“It's unsustainable, it's reckless, it's irresponsible and it needs to stop, and those of us who are concerned about it need to rise up and fight it,” Pawlenty said.

Pawlenty, who serves as vice-chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said GOP wins in Virginia and New

Jersey governor races Tuesday were an affirmation of the candidates' economic policies.

“They spoke to the importance of jobs and the economy, particularly as it relates to training and educating the work force and trying to create an environment where people could have access to a job,” Pawlenty said.

Next year, Pawlenty expects many of the 37 governor's races on the ballot to be competitive, especially in swing states.

Pawlenty and Sarah Palin were not so lucky after shunning their party's candidate to back Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in a New York U.S. House race.

Hoffman lost to Democrat Bill Owens Tuesday.

Pawlenty said Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava, a moderate who dropped out of the race in the days leading up to the election, had “embraced” the stimulus bill, the bank bailout and “card check” for union elections. He also objected to her selection, which he said was done by a small group of people and was not transparent.

Pawlenty said he doesn't intend to endorse other conservatives who don't run on the GOP ticket in 2010.