Tuesday News Tidbits

1. HumanEvents.com released today the transcript to an extensive interview they did with Governor Romney last Friday. It’s so fresh (and extensive) that I have not even read it yet. Give me some feedback.

2. Tim Pawlenty, the GOP Governor of Minnesota, who was also considered a strong contender for the VP nod in 2008, has announced that he is starting his own PAC, dubbed the Freedom First PAC. It has long since been rumored that T-Paw would jump into the fray of 2012 contenders. His announcement in June that he was not seeking re-election, coupled with his new PAC, and his recent high profile speeches, are a clear indication that he is doing just that. Another indication being that he has taken several shots at MA health care (ie. shots at Romney) recently.

Chris Cillizza from Washington Post’s The Fix reports:

Pawlenty’s expected rivals for the 2012 nomination already have PACs up and operational.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) is at the head of the PAC class, having collected $2.3 million for his “Free and Strong America” committee so far in 2009 and ending August with $811,000 in the bank. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin closed June with $732,000 raised via her “Sarahpac” while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee collected $305,000 through his “Huck PAC” in the first six months of the year.

In recent presidential elections, leadership PACs have become de rigeur for top tier candidates — allowing them to begin the construction of a national financial apparatus while also building up chits with candidates running for office.

This process is especially important to Pawlenty as he has never run for national office before and starts at something of a disadvantage in terms of national organization and name identification when compared to Romney, Palin and Huckabee.

Tim Pawlenty does start a little behind, but he’s not in any different boat than Romney was in early 2007 when he was polling less than 4% nation-wide. Will his campaign gain traction? My guess is yes, and the Big 3 will soon become the Big 4. In fact, my early prediction is a T-Paw vs. Romney match up down the stretch. Good luck with that Tim. (Note to self: time to make a Tim Pawlenty category for blog posts ….. done.)

3. Two different GOP rankings. The first from The Hill’s Pundit Blog. Their scoop: Huckabee’s in first. Romney a close second. Big wild cards: Palin, Pawlenty.

The second is again from The Fix: Romney in first (5 times in a row now), Pawlenty at number 2, Huckabee at 7 and Palin at 9. Keep in mind this ranking is for “most influential Republicans” and is not necesarilly a handicapping of the GOP nomination race.

Said of Romney in the rankings:

1. Mitt Romney: No one in the Republican party at the moment can match Romney’s motor. The guy is simply everywhere. During Romney’s visit to Washington this weekend, he will address the Value Voters Summit in Washington on Saturday, raise money for his Free and Strong America PAC and collect cash for — among others — former state Attorney General Bob McDonnell, who is running for governor, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, and Republican consultant Barbara Comstock who is seeking to unseat a Democratic state legislator in McLean. Couple that packed calendar with the favorable reviews Massachusetts residents are giving to the health care plan Romney signed into law as governor and you see why Romney continues to hold the top slot on the Line. (Previous ranking: 1)

~Nate G.