pawlenty-careeningMinnesotans know something that even the national conservative elite doesn’t: Tim Pawlenty will be the next Republican nominee for president. Or so half of those polled in the state told Rasmussen Reports.

With his membership in their Former Governors Club still pending, Pawlenty placed respectably behind Mike Huckabee and nearly even with Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin at the Values Voters Summit straw poll last weekend.

It was a fair showing for a guy who is still building name recognition in his own party, but the Values Voters remain behind the curve on foreseeing his eventual ascendency.

Minnesota voters are also of two minds about Pawlenty’s out-of-state travel to build his national profile. Another (and presumably different) 50 percent of respondents say they’re concerned — either “very” or “somewhat” — about it.

Pawlenty’s job-approval ratings stay stable in the new poll, with 56 percent saying they approve (”strongly” or “somewhat”) of his work as governor.

But it’s unclear whether Rasmussen’s results were affected by the confusion about Pawlenty’s gender in the question the pollster posed:

How would you rate the job Tim Pawlenty has been doing as Governor… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job she’s [sic] been doing?

Whatever his gender-identification, Pawlenty is likely to run for president. That’s the opinion of a solid 62 percent in the poll.

Meanwhile, Rasmussen has U.S. Sen. Al Franken still mired in job-approval ratings no better than the low 40s he polled on Election Day last year. By contrast, 56 percent say Sen. Amy Klobuchar is doing an “excellent” or “good” job.