Pawlenty to campaign for Emmer

Gov. Pawlenty stayed on the sidelines of the race for governor for several months after Tom Emmer won the GOP endorsement. But he's ramping up his efforts in the remaining days of the campaign. It's already been announced that Pawlenty will appear at a campaign rally on the Saturday before Election Day.

Today, the Emmer campaign announced Pawlenty will campaign with Emmer on Sunday and Monday in St. Louis Park, Rochester and Eagan.

Here's the schedule:

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

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Saint Louis Park

3:00 pm (2:30 pm Doors)

Saint Louis Park Recreation Center

3700 Monterey Drive

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Rochester

8:30 am

(8:00 am Doors)

Ramada Hotel and Conference Center

Royal Room C

1517 16th Street SW

Eagan

11:00 am

(10:30 am Doors) Aerospace Manufacturing, Inc.

1045 Gemini Road

Update:

DFL Party Chair Brian Melendez says Pawlenty's sinking popularity will likely do more to hurt Emmer than help. The outgoing Republican governor is scheduled to campaign with Emmer Sunday and Monday. Melendez says Emmer's connection to Pawlenty will likely cost him independent votes.

"Obviously DFLers have always disliked Tim Pawlenty, and Tim Pawlenty's unfavorable ratings have been going up lately, so that's got to be coming from independents, which leaves me to think that tying Tim Pawlenty around your neck is not the best strategy two weeks out."

But state Republican party chairman Tony Sutton says voters like the idea of Emmer continuing Pawlenty's policies. He says the governor's campaign assistance should help Emmer peak on Election Day.