GOP/POLITICAL FIGURES: “Republican former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who had been considered a potential high-profile candidate in a key race, says he will not run for the Senate this year in Minnesota.
Speaking on Fox Business News, Pawlenty said: ‘I am very interested in public service and service for the common good, there are a lot of different ways to do that, but I’ll tell you today that running for the United States Senate in 2018 won’t be part of those plans.’
The Minnesota Senate seat has emerged as an unexpected pickup opportunity for Republicans in a potentially punishing midterm election year after Democratic Sen. Al Franken’s abrupt resignation following sexual misconduct allegations.
Republicans had been attempting to persuade the former governor to jump into the race — with outreach by a roster of party leaders, donors and Republican activists, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
Still, a CNN poll last month found Democrats with a staggering 18-point advantage over Republicans nationwide in a generic ballot.”
-Steve Brusk and Donald Judd, “Tim Pawlenty says he won’t run for Senate in Minnesota,” CNN Politcs, CNN.com, Jan. 16, 2018 03:10pm