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'''Tim Pawlenty''' is the current [[governor]] of [[Minnesota]].  He is a [[Republican]].  He was elected in 2002, taking the place of [[Jesse Ventura]].  Pawlenty has had high approval rating during his governorship<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2006/campaign/governor/pawlenty/</ref>. He balanced the state budget with out breaking his pledge not to raise taxes.  He also improved education in the state.  He was reelected in 2006, beating [[Democratic Party|DFL]] candidate [[Mike Hatch]] in a close election.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/07/mngov/</ref>  Pawlenty is from Minnesota, and was educated in law at the [[University of Minnesota]].  He was a criminal prosecutor and ten-year member of the Minnesota [[House of Representatives]].  Pawlenty also spent four years as [[House Majority Leader]].  There have been reports that Pawlenty might be in consideration for the vice-presidential spot with [[John McCain]], but Pawlenty has denied these.

'''Tim Pawlenty''' is the current [[governor]] of [[Minnesota]].  He is a [[Republican]].  He was elected in 2002, taking the place of [[Jesse Ventura]].  Pawlenty has had high approval rating during his governorship<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/2006/campaign/governor/pawlenty/</ref>. He balanced the state budget with out breaking his pledge not to raise taxes.  He also improved education in the state.  He was reelected in 2006, beating [[Democratic Party|DFL]] candidate [[Mike Hatch]] in a close election.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/07/mngov/</ref>  Pawlenty is from Minnesota, and was educated in law at the [[University of Minnesota]].  He was a criminal prosecutor and ten-year member of the Minnesota [[House of Representatives]].  Pawlenty also spent four years as [[House Majority Leader]].  There have been reports that Pawlenty might be in consideration for the vice-presidential spot with [[John McCain]], but Pawlenty has denied these.

== Political Record ==

==Early Life==

Tim Pawlenty was born on November 27, 1960, in [[Saint Paul]], Minnesota. Although he was raised as a [[Roman Catholic]], he converted as an [[Evangelical Christian]]. His mother died of cancer when Pawlenty was 16. He was only child in his family to graduate from college, where he earned a Political Science and Law Degree from the University of Minnesota, and later became a practicing attorney. 

== Political Career ==

Pawlenty is generally liked by social conservatives based on his voting record as a legislator and his statements against abortion and in favor of traditional marriage. But as governor of Minnesota, Pawlenty needlessly granted the wish of Planned Parenthood to change the warning by Minnesota's Department of Health concerning how abortion increases the risk of breast cancer. Pawlenty did this without accepting public comment on the issue.<ref>http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/press_releases/040114/index.htm</ref>

Pawlenty was elected to the Minnesota [[House of Representatives]] in 1992, and reelected five times. In 1998, he was elected as the state House Majority Leader. In 2002, Pawlenty was the Republican nominee for Governor. He faced strong opposition from Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) state senator Roger Moe, and [[Independent]] candidate, former Congressman Tim Penny. Opinion polls showed the race tight, however he won the election by seven percentage points, mostly by winning voters in the suburbs of [[Minneapolis]]-St. Paul.

 

===Record as Governor===

As Governor, Pawlenty has balanced Minnesota's budget three times without raising taxes, despite facing record budget deficits. Governing as a [[fiscal conservative]], he enacted a property tax cap and eliminated the marriage penalty. On November 30, 2005, a $701 million projected surplus was announced, the first budget surplus for the Minnesota state government since 2001. He proposed and signed into law [[welfare]] reform that requires able-bodied people to seek work.<ref>http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/aug/28/get-to-know-tim-pawlenty/</ref> Pawlenty was the chairman of the National Governors Association from 2007 to 2008.

 

Pawlenty describes himself as Pro-Life and supports overturning [[Roe v. Wade]]. On gun control he supports statewide background checks to carry firearms.<ref>http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Tim_Pawlenty_Gun_Control.htm</ref>  

== References ==

== References ==

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==Links==

==External Links==

[http://www.governor.state.mn.us/index.htm Official Site of MN Governor]

[http://www.governor.state.mn.us/index.htm Official Site of MN Governor]

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