Pawlenty to Co-Chair McCain’s 2008 Campaign

By Jeff Fecke
Monday, January 15, 2007 at 9:29 am

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) will serve as national co-chair for Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) 2008 presidential campaign, according to an interview with conservative talk-show host Bill Bennett.

Pawlenty did not disclose who his co-chair would be.

Pawlenty has been an enthusiastic backer of McCain, and had previously expressed his support for McCain’s campaign. McCain also campaigned for Pawlenty in 2006.

Pawlenty has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate in 2008, usually paired with McCain; Pawlenty’s narrow re-election was one of the few bright spots nationally for Republicans in 2006.

In a separate statement issued by the McCain campaign, Pawlenty said, “As our country pursues the War on Terror, we need a seasoned leader with international affairs and national security experience. I’m honored and excited to help Senator McCain’s efforts to become our next President.”

In addition to announcing his new position, Pawlenty took a moment during the interview to show some love for Minnesota right-wing bloggers, saying, “We’ve gone from Mary Tyler Moore to Powerline.”

“That’s progress,” agreed Bennett.