Norm Coleman to back Pawlenty, says Klobuchar “strong”
Former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has been chatty lately.
In an interview with Hotline on Call, Coleman reiterated his support for former Gov. Tim Pawlenty's bid for the presidency:
"I've been on the Tim bandwagon for a while," Coleman said. "In the last cycle I said he'd be a great president ... and I've been consulting on and off with him since."
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While describing Rep. Michele Bachmann as a "close friend," Coleman declined to endorse her developing campaign for the White House.
In a separate interview with Politico, Coleman said DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who's up for re-election in 2012, will be tough for Republicans to unseat:
"She's certainly strong. She's got good numbers and good support," he said. "She hasn't been a very polarizing force. Clearly, that's going to be a challenge."
So far, no Republicans have stepped forward to challenge Klobuchar. Repeated calls by MPR News over the past several weeks to the National Republican Senatorial Committee for comment on possible Klobuchar opponents have not been returned.