Pawlenty Backs McCain in 2008

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has announced his support for the Presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), according to a report in the New York Times.

Both McCain and Pawlenty were on hand at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association, which is chaired by outgoing Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), who also is considered a frontrunner for the GOP nomination in 2008.

Pawlenty has had a close relationship with the Arizona Senator; McCain stumped for Pawlenty during the 2006 campaign.  Pawlenty has often been mentioned as a potential running mate for McCain given his electoral success in Minnesota, a state that has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.