Mitt Romney

Two new takes on Tim Pawlenty show how the gap between national stature and local knowledge could actually serve him well in a presidential campaign.

The Daily Caller, a news website that makes its debut today as a sort of right-wing Huffington Post, carries a feature by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on his balanced-budget amendment idea. Pawlenty is the only GOP presidential contender whose name appears on the initial main page of the site, which is founded and edited by conservative commentator and [...]

Gov. Pawlenty tells Newsweek that “Democrats have all kinds of characters who are interesting, bold and dramatic,” while Republicans have Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin … and him.

Former Massachuetts Gov. Mitt Romney pushed back Sunday against Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s attacks on the Bay State’s health care system.

Nearly three-quarters of Iowans aren’t sure how they feel about Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, according to a new Iowa Poll.

“Rather depressingly, Tim Pawlenty could win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 simply by being the least offensive candidate,” writes The Daily Beast’s Reihan Salam. Pawlenty’s “appeal is clear,” Salam writes, “on paper.”  He’s even-tempered and has a “compelling personal story”; he’s got that commonsense “Sam’s Club conservative” demeanor; and he’s campaigning on getting Minnesota’s [...]

Gov. Pawlenty’s recent efforts to pander to the conservative GOP base is “Romneyesque,” observes veteran Washington Post political reporter Dan Balz. He warns that Pawlenty is in danger of losing his political compass as he attempts to position himself for a 2012 presidential bid.
In particular, Balz criticizes T-Paw for his awkward refusal to embrace Maine [...]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty travels to Iowa this weekend to headline a Republican fundraiser, simply the latest evidence that he’s seriously eyeing a 2012 run for president. But according to the latest poll looking at potential GOP presidential contenders, Pawlenty continues to lag well behind his likely rivals. Only 32 percent of Republicans polled would “seriously [...]

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is the top choice of roughly one third of Republicans for the presidential nomination in 2012, according to a new CNN poll. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was the second most popular choice, with support from 25 percent of Republican voters, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney drew backing from [...]

Should Gov. Tim Pawlenty skip the Iowa caucuses? Yes, it’s ridiculously early to be contemplating such questions about the 2012 presidential campaign. But The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder raises that question in a post today. He notes that only candidates with strong Christian conservative bona fides will have a chance in the caucuses, meaning that Sarah [...]