Pawlenty to Start PAC

Chris Cillizza
The Fix
WashPost

In the latest sign that he is preparing to run for president in 2012, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is starting a political action committee that will allow him to donate to state and federal candidates and travel the country in support of his party.

The "Freedom First" PAC is slated to hold its first official event in November, according to a save-the-date e-mail being circulated among Republican activists. The event, which includes a reception and a dinner, is scheduled for Nov. 4 at the Minneapolis Hilton. To serve as a "chair" for the fundraiser, an individual must collect $100,000 for the event while "co-chairs" are required to bring in $50,000. Individual tickets cost $5,000.

"When the Governor said he wouldn't seek re-election, he said in addition to finishing his term strong, he would help other Republicans candidates, and obviously a PAC is one key way to do that," said Alex Conant, an unofficial adviser to Pawlenty.

In the past few months, Tpaw has worked aggressively to introduce himself to potential 2012 Republican primary voters. He has visited (or will visit by the end of the month) a number of battleground states including Florida and Ohio and drew considerable media coverage for his speech last week at the Value Voters Summit in Washington. (That activity led us to name Pawlenty the second most influential Republican in the country last week.)

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