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“What makes a good pig? What makes a great pig?” Pawlenty said on the air, even as half a country away John McCain prepared to introduce Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. A day earlier, Pawlenty was widely thought to be one of perhaps two finalists for the job (the other, Mitt Romney, also got stiffed).
While speculation about Pawlenty’s political future will die down for now, it’s unlikely McCain’s decision will dim the governor’s growing national profile. The reasons that Pawlenty made McCain’s short list in the first place — his success as a conservative in a left-leaning state, his working-class roots and kinship with evangelical voters, his sense of humor and youthful energy — have probably earned him a spot on Republican presidential short lists for either 2012 or 2016.
“Governor Pawlenty comes out of this process a winner,” said Ron Carey, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party. “He’s a young man and he’s really well-positioned for long-term success as a national leader.”
Pawlenty, 47, said his own priority the next few months would be to continue as a strong advocate for McCain’s candidacy. He had strong praise for Palin, calling her an “outstanding, terrific pick.”
Pawlenty said McCain called him early Friday morning with his decision to go with Palin. Pawlenty said he told McCain he thought it was a strong choice.
“I never got into this with the idea that I needed this, or that I wanted something out of this,” Pawlenty said. “I’m honored to have been considered.”
Pawlenty wouldn’t speculate on the possibility of a Cabinet post if McCain wins, but several Pawlenty allies were already talking up that possibility on Friday.
“There’s little doubt in my mind he could have something like that if he’s interested,” said Marty Seifert, the Republican leader in the state House of Representatives. “I think you could see him as a McCain chief of staff, as attorney general, as secretary of commerce or secretary of energy. There’s any number of positions that someone with his talent could fill.”
If Democrat Barack Obama wins the election, the next big political decision for Pawlenty is whether to run for a third term as governor in 2010. Pawlenty said Friday he’d announce his decision early next year.
Charlie Weaver, who served as Pawlenty’s first chief of staff and is still a close adviser, said that could be the first big clue as to whether Pawlenty intends to run for president someday.
“My advice would be, if he did have national aspirations, that it may not be a great idea to run for governor again,” Weaver said. “It’s really hard to win three terms regardless of how skilled you are. There’s a fatigue with the populace.”
Weaver quickly added he thinks Pawlenty would win if he runs again, but said it would be a big risk weighed against his possible national ambitions.
Another factor in Pawlenty’s future is how the last two years of his current term turn out; Democrats at the Capitol need only five more House seats and they’ll have enough to override a Pawlenty veto in both chambers. If Democrats reach that goal, Pawlenty could find himself marginalized when the Legislature meets in January to set the next two-year state budget.
“You almost expect he might say, 'Running the state is not my problem anymore,'" said Brian Melendez, the chairman of the state Democratic Party.
Back at the Minnesota State Fair, Pawlenty didn’t have to look hard to find plenty of support from his fellow Minnesotans. Several hundred fairgoers gathered at the WCCO-AM booth gave him a sustained round of applause when he first appeared, and they laughed as he took to the airwaves and swapped jokes with his spokesman, Brian McClung, about State Fair food.
For the first time in a few days, Pawlenty didn’t have to dodge the question when a reporter asked what he’d be doing over the next few days.
“I’m going to spend some time with my family this weekend,” Pawlenty said.
