GOP bigwigs raise $ for Pawlenty in DC
Politico says former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman held a "star-studded" fundraiser last night for Gov. Pawlenty in Washington DC. Top McCain advisor Charlie Black was also in attendance. Here's the synopsis:
How does a GOP governor from fly-over country pack a house in Georgetown with over 100 people, each of them giving at least $250 to his campaign committee?
Well, it helps to be on every short list for vice-president.
Such was the case last night, as even pointed out by Ken Mehlman, the host of the soiree, in his introduction of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Of course, Pawlenty modestly demurred about the elephant in the room and instead talked about his tenure in Minnesota and the importance of the GOP retaining blue-collar voters - he calls them "Sam's Club voters" -- in the coalition.
One Republican in attendance described the gathering as "star-studded"
Joining Pawlenty and his wife, Mary, were a mix of die-hard McCainiacs and recent converts: Ken Duberstein, Jack Kemp, Vin Weber, Wayne Berman, Fred Malek, Phil Musser, Sara Taylor, Barbara Comstock, Bobbie Kilberg and Frank Keating.
And, as noted by Mike Allen in Playbook this morning, raising eyebrows was another name on the invitation: Charlie Black.
Black, of course, is a top adviser to McCain, a veteran of every GOP presidential campaign for over three decades and somebody who will surely be part of the veep vetting.
Now in his second term, Pawlenty is in the midst of a budget battle in St. Paul. He was planning on using the cash raised to help with some of his paid messaging on that front back home and to stock up for a potential third term.
If, that is, he's not tapped for veep.
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