Pawlenty: “Mitt and I are friends…”
Governor Pawlenty said today that he intends to appear alongside potential 2012 rival Mitt Romney on Monday. Romney is scheduled to be in Bloomington, MN on Monday to raise money for Emmer and also hold a rally for the Republican candidate for governor. Pawlenty said he will also attend the event provided the special session wraps up in a timely manner.
"Mitt and I are friends I like him," Pawlenty said. "Last time he was here, he and I spent some social time together. I spent some time with him backstage. We appeared together on the state so there's no tension or problem with me or Mitt."
When asked why there would be a problem, Pawlenty said "I have a lot of respect for Gov. Romney."
Pawlenty said he also intends to do some campaigning of his own for Emmer near the end of the month. Pawlenty told reporters this afternoon that he's scheduled to campaign for Emmer, has raised money for him and he also hinted at doing more.
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"There are some things that I'm doing independently that will reveal themselves in due course," Pawlenty said.
When asked if he will appear in an ad touting Emmer's campaign, Pawlenty said "stay tuned on that."
Pawlenty, who reported this morning that his three political action committees has $667,000 on hand through September 30th. When asked if he intends to spend that money, Pawlenty responded "It's not to sit on money."
Pawlenty will ramp up his campaigning over the weekend. He's scheduled to be in New York City tomorrow morning for a fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association. On Saturday, he'll be campaigning in New Hampshire. He suggested that it won't be the only out of state campaigning he'll do between now and Election Day.
"I'm doing everything I need to do to make sure my job and responsibilities are met here but I will be campaigning pretty hard in the next few weeks..."