Pawlenty making strong push for dough at deadline

Gov. Pawlenty's Freedom First PAC is ramping up in the days leading the next campaign finance deadline. Earlier today, Pawlenty announced in an e-mail that his PAC will support Republican Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race:

It will be 8 months until Republicans and conservatives all over our country are elected and take back this country for freedom and correct the mistakes of this administration and Congress...with our help.

For my part, through this Freedom First PAC, we will support candidates who will be integral to Republican majorities in the House and Senate like Rob Portman in Ohio and Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania. This organization depends on contributions from those who share our mission: you.

The e-mail then directs readers to give to the PAC.

Pawlenty also appeared on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown and will appear on Fox's Greta tonight.

The governor, who appears to be ramping up for a presidential run in 2012, is also hosting a "Facebook townhall" meeting tomorrow night to announce endorsements and take questions.

All of these efforts are geared at getting Pawlenty's name in front of as many voters, particularly key Republican voters, but it also appears to be financially savvy. That's because tomorrow night is the deadline to close the books for the first quarter of 2010. Pawlenty's PAC will have to report its fundraising totals on April 15th.

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