DES MOINES — Republican Tim Pawlenty will officially launch his campaign for president here Monday, presenting himself as a serious candidate for serious times who has the courage to tell Americans the truth about the challenges the country faces.
The former Minnesota governor is kicking off a week of campaigning in the early voting states, hoping to capitalize on the absence of two would-be top-tier candidates to establish himself as a leading contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Pawlenty begins that effort with a speech and town hall meeting Monday in Des Moines, where he will call for a downsizing of the federal government.
“Politicians are often afraid that if they’re too honest, they might lose an election. I’m afraid that in 2012, if we’re not honest enough, we may lose our country,” Pawlenty says, according to excerpts of prepared remarks released in advance by his campaign.
“If we want to grow our economy, we need to shrink our government. If we want to create jobs, we need to encourage job creators. If we want our children to be free to pursue their dreams, we can’t shackle them with our debts. This is a time for truth.”
Pawlenty, 50, a former two-term governor who was on the short-list to become John McCain’s running mate in 2008, has left little doubt that he would become an official candidate. He has visited Iowa 14 times since November 2008, more than any other potential candidate, according to Iowapolitics.com. And he has hired veteran Iowa operatives, including Eric Woolson, who managed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee’s winning Iowa campaign in 2008.
Indeed, by announcing his candidacy here, Pawlenty signals that a strong finish in the first-in-the-nation caucuses is central to his overall strategy.
But of the major candidates, Pawlenty has one of the lowest national profiles, registering in the single digits in most public polls. He hopes to change that this week by officially entering a contest that has become more solidified in recent days with the announcements by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Huckabee and real estate mogul Donald Trump that they would not run for president.
Read more at The Washington Post.