I haven’t paid much attention to the former Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty. He was talked about as a possible Veep nominee on the McCain ticket in 2008, but outside of that I didn’t know much about him.
When I watched this interview, though, I could see him as an effective candidate for President:
Not only was Pawlenty the House Majority Leader and then two-term Governor of a mid-sized, left-leaning state (unlike Romney, who did not seek re-election in Massachusetts), but he is also an evangelical Christian, which should give him a base of support in the primaries that neither Romney or possible newcomer Huntsman – both Mormons – will have.
Because of the above, I’ve moved him into 2nd place in the Republican standings, a little above the Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels.