In the latest of a series of moves which political insiders see as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) positioning himself for a run at the 2012 GOP nomination, the governor announced the first series of 2010 candidates endorsed by his Freedom First PAC during a Facebook town hall Wednesday evening.
Pawlenty says all these newly endorsed candidates share his common-sense, conservative agenda. They are also running for seats that represent Republican pickup opportunities.
“Washington is headed in the wrong direction. We need to help good people running for office who understand that the federal government is overreaching and are willing to stand up and say, ‘Enough!,’” Pawlenty said.
The first seven endorsed candidates are:
Pat Toomey, running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.
Tim Burns, running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 12th District.
Robert Dold, running for Congress in Illinois’ 10th District.
Sean Duffy, running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 7th District.
Charles Djou, running for Congress in Hawaii’s 1st District.
Pat Meehan, running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th District.
Gov. John Hoeven, running for U.S. Senate in North Dakota.