The second in an occasional series of bite-sized profiles of potential vice-presidential picks. This week we turn to the Republicans and take a look at one of the favourites to be John McCain's running mate: Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota.
Pawlenty is a rising star in a party that doesn't have too many right now. At 47 he's young for a man in his position. He's the Governor of a battleground state in the general election. His background is solid Minnesota working class and not typical for a Republican. His mother died when he was sixteen, leaving his Teamster father to raise five kids on a milk-truck driver's salary. He's a big Bruce Springsteen fan (we don't know if the feeling is mutual), plays hockey (which in the US is considered a sport for real men) and fishes.
Why is he so fancied for the running-mate spot? He's trusted by the conservative wing of the party in a way that McCain is not. But he's also liked by independents and some Democrats in his state. He's young (just a shade older than Obama). He's a skilled, likeable communicator and a clever politician who has won two gubernatorial elections in a left-leaning state, so he can reach voters across the political divide.
Best of all he's been a loyal McCainiac from the start, helping to raise funds and build support since 2006, and staying loyal through the near-implosion of McCain's campaign in summer 2007. The fact that he's not one of the three guests at McCain's barbecue this weekend doesn't mean he's not in the running. It sounds like a 'get-to-know-you' session - and McCain knows Pawlenty best out of all the contenders. But he'll probably be nervous about it. Perhaps he'll call up Bobby Jindal and pretend to give him advice on how to get on with McCain ('He loves it when you kid him about being a prisoner-of-war...tell him you bet it was a lot easier than he makes out - he'll think you're hilarious. Also, bring some tofu').
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