No nostalgia from Pawlenty
Gov. Pawlenty said he won't feel any nostalgia when he addresses GOP delegates tomorrow morning for the final time as governor. He said he'll focus his speech on motivating Republicans to turn out for the 2010 midterms.
"I think it will be a nice opportunity to thank them for their support over the years and to reflect a little bit of what we accomplished together during the last eight years," Pawlenty said. "I'll then talk a little bit about the campaign coming up this fall and the importance of them working hard to get a Republican elected."
When asked on Monday night if his speech will be emotional, Pawlenty said no:
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"I think I had my full opportunity to do what I can for Minnesota, Pawlenty said. "We're still towards the end of a legislative session so we're working toward that but this is a year of lasts. The last governor's fishing opener. The last state of the state, the last state convention, the last Minnesota Family Council thing and so I've gotten used to the kind of, it's like the farewell tour."
Part of Pawlenty's reasoning may be because he's not done running. Since June, Pawlenty has visited 25 different states, Washington D.C. and several other countries to campaign on behalf of other Republican candidates and build the infrastructure for a possible run for the White House in 2012. Pawlenty said he won't make a decision on that until January at the earliest.
Here's a key question: Will Pawlenty feel any pressure to get involved in the endorsement battle? He said on Monday that Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert both requested meetings with him. He said he'd probably talk with them but it was unlikely he'd back a candidate.