Tim Pawlenty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tim Pawlenty
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Official portrait, 2003
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| 39th Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Lieutenant | Carol Molnau |
| Preceded by | Jesse Ventura |
| Succeeded by | Mark Dayton |
| Chair of the National Governors Association | |
| In office July 23, 2007 – July 14, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Janet Napolitano |
| Succeeded by | Ed Rendell |
| Majority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Ted Winter |
| Succeeded by | Erik Paulsen |
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 38B district |
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| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Art Seaberg |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Wardlow |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Timothy James Pawlenty
November 27, 1960 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Mary Anderson
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (BA, JD) |
| Signature |  |
Timothy James Pawlenty (born November 27, 1960) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty was also a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003. He was the House Majority Leader from 1999 to 2003.
Pawlenty graduated from the University of Minnesota. He worked as a labor law attorney and later as a vice president for a software company. In 1992, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. He was reelected four times and became majority leader in 1998.
After winning the Republican nomination, Pawlenty won the 2002 election for governor. He promised not to raise taxes. He worked to reduce the state's budget deficit by cutting funds and adding "user fees." He was reelected in 2006. As governor, Pawlenty also changed Minnesota's education system. He also signed a law allowing people to carry concealed firearms. His administration supported big public projects, like the Northstar Commuter Rail Line and Target Field. From 2007 to 2008, Pawlenty led the National Governors Association.
Pawlenty ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 but later withdrew. He then helped Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. In 2018, Pawlenty tried to become governor of Minnesota again but lost in the primary election. As of 2024, he is the last Republican to serve as governor of Minnesota.
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Early Life and Education
Tim Pawlenty was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His father delivered milk, and his mother died when he was 16. He grew up in South St. Paul. He played ice hockey in high school.
Pawlenty was the first in his family to go to college. He studied at the University of Minnesota. He worked as an intern for U.S. Senator David Durenberger. In 1983, he earned a degree in political science. He then went to the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating in 1986. There, he met Mary Anderson, whom he married in 1987.
Pawlenty started his career as a labor law attorney. Later, he became a vice president at a software company called Wizmo Inc. He moved to Eagan, Minnesota, and was elected to the City Council at age 28.
Minnesota House of Representatives
In 1992, Pawlenty was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. He represented District 38B, which is in suburban Dakota County. In the House, he wrote bills about term limits for committee leaders. He also worked on funding for parenting classes and rules for repeat domestic violence offenders.
Pawlenty was reelected four times. In 1998, he was chosen as the House Majority Leader. This happened when Republicans became the majority party in the State Legislature.
Governorship
2002 Election for Governor
In 2002, Pawlenty decided to run for governor. He won a close primary election against another Republican. In the main election, Pawlenty faced two strong opponents. These were Roger Moe from the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) party and Tim Penny from the Independence Party.
Pawlenty promised not to raise taxes to fix the state's budget problems. He also supported a concealed carry gun law. He wanted to change the state's education rules. Pawlenty won the election with 43.8% of the votes. He gained a lot of support from voters in the suburbs of Minneapolis–St. Paul.
2006 Reelection
Pawlenty ran for reelection in 2006. He won against Mike Hatch by a very small margin. However, the state House and Senate gained more DFL members.
State Budget and Spending
When Pawlenty became governor in 2002, Minnesota had a large budget deficit. He promised to balance the budget without raising taxes. His time as governor saw a very low rate of spending growth.
In his first year, he faced a $4.3 billion budget deficit. He signed a plan that included fee increases, spending cuts, and government changes. This plan helped to eliminate the deficit. He reduced how much money was spent on state services. These included transportation, social services, and welfare.
In his second term, Pawlenty fixed another $2.7 billion deficit. He did this by cutting spending and using federal money. His last budget (2010–11) was the first time since 1960 that government spending actually went down.
Some people criticized Pawlenty's budget plans. They said his solutions were only for the short term. For example, he used money from the tobacco settlement and education funds to balance the budget. This led to a new deficit of $5 billion later on.
Court Ruling on Budget Cuts
In May 2010, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled against Pawlenty. The court said he had gone beyond his power by making spending cuts on his own. Pawlenty had cut funds from a special dietary program. The court said that the state government had not agreed on a balanced budget. So, Pawlenty could not use his power to fix the deficit alone.
Pawlenty said he would continue to fight to reduce spending and taxes. After the ruling, the legislature passed a bill that approved most of his original cuts.
Funding Public Projects
Pawlenty worked to fund a new baseball stadium for the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. The plan involved a sales tax increase in Hennepin County. This plan was approved by the state legislature.
In June 2006, Pawlenty signed a bill for public works projects. This bill included money for the Northstar Commuter rail line. It also funded an expansion of the Faribault prison. Money was also given for new science buildings at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State University in Mankato.
Education Changes
Pawlenty tried to protect education funding while cutting other government spending. In 2009, he used federal money to boost education funds. He supported charter schools. In 2010, Minnesota was ranked number one in the country for promoting charter schools.
Pawlenty oversaw changes to the state's K-12 graduation requirements. These new rules were called the Minnesota Academic Standards. They aimed to improve what students learned in school.
Transportation Improvements
During Pawlenty's first term, traffic in cities was a big concern. He appointed his lieutenant governor, Carol Molnau, as transportation commissioner. Pawlenty supported raising fees and adding toll lanes to roads to reduce traffic. During his term, carpool lanes on Interstate 394 were changed into toll lanes.
Pawlenty had initially opposed the Northstar Commuter Rail. But in 2004, he changed his mind and announced a plan to fund the project. This happened after the Bush administration found the rail line would be good for commuters.
In April 2008, Pawlenty used his veto power to remove $70 million for the Central Corridor light-rail project. This project was meant to connect Minneapolis and Saint Paul. He said he did this to send a message to the legislature about being careful with money. However, he did support the project. The funding issue was later resolved.
Energy Policy
Minnesota has required a 10% mix of gasoline and ethanol since 1997. Pawlenty also pushed for more ethanol use across the country.
In 2007, Governor Pawlenty signed the Next Generation Energy Act. He also joined six other Midwestern governors in the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord. These actions aimed to reduce greenhouse gases. However, by 2009, Pawlenty changed his view. He called some climate policies "overly bureaucratic."
Health Care
In 2005, Pawlenty asked the U.S. Senate to allow his MinnesotaCare health plan to expand. This would let state residents buy cheaper Canadian prescription drugs. In 2007, he signed a bill to create a task force. This group would explore ways to lower health care costs and improve quality.
Later, he cut health care funding to balance the state budget. He removed $381 million from health and human services funding. This could have caused many Minnesotans to lose their health insurance.
Foreign Relations and Travel
During his time as governor, Pawlenty visited Minnesota troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Kuwait. These visits were related to the War on Terror.
In 2004, Mexican President Vicente Fox visited Pawlenty to strengthen trade. Mexico later opened a consulate in Minnesota. In 2006, Pawlenty sent Minnesota National Guardsmen to the U.S.–Mexico border. This was to help with border security.
In 2005, Pawlenty led a group of nearly 200 Minnesota leaders to China. The goal was to help Minnesota companies learn about the Chinese market. He also led trade trips to Canada, Poland, the Czech Republic, India, and Israel.
Other Activities as Governor
Pawlenty hosted a weekly radio show on WCCO-AM. He was the chairman of the National Governors Association from 2007 to 2008. He also led the Midwestern Governors Association in 2006.
In 2007, Pawlenty became a national co-chair for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. He was considered a possible choice for vice president with McCain. However, McCain chose Sarah Palin.
2012 Presidential Campaign
Preparing for the Race
In 2005, some news outlets suggested Pawlenty might run for president. He decided not to seek a third term as governor in 2010. In 2009, he started visiting Iowa, giving political speeches. In January 2011, he said he would run for president, not vice president.
Book Tour and Ideas
Pawlenty went on a tour for his book, Courage to Stand. He described himself as a social conservative. He said that Social Security and Medicare needed to be cut to balance the federal budget.
In a newspaper column, Pawlenty wrote about labor unions. He supported "private sector" unions but was against "public sector" unions. He believed public sector unions had too much power.
Running for President
On March 21, 2011, Pawlenty announced he was exploring a run for president. On April 12, he confirmed he was "running for president." He officially launched his campaign on May 23, 2011, in Iowa. He said he would "tell the truth" in politics.
Pawlenty finished third in the Ames Straw Poll on August 13, 2011. He was behind Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul. After this, he withdrew from the presidential race. On September 12, 2011, Pawlenty endorsed Mitt Romney for president. He also became a national co-chair for Romney's campaign.
After Politics
On September 20, 2012, Pawlenty resigned as co-chairman of Mitt Romney's campaign. He became the head of the Financial Services Roundtable (FSR). This is a group that represents the financial services industry in Washington, D.C. He said he would not run for governor or senator in Minnesota in 2014.
In November 2012, Pawlenty said that Republicans and Democrats needed to work together on spending and taxes. He said he could bring a "fresh and new voice" to these discussions.
2018 Gubernatorial Campaign
In February 2018, Pawlenty thought about running for a third term as governor of Minnesota. He announced his candidacy on April 5. However, Pawlenty lost the Republican primary election to Jeff Johnson. After his defeat, he said the "Republican party has shifted." He also said he was not a "Trump-like politician" in the "era of Trump." He then said he was ending his career in politics.
Personal Life
Tim Pawlenty and his wife, Mary, have two daughters, Anna and Mara. Mary was appointed a judge in Dakota County in 1994. After Tim became governor, the family stayed in their Eagan home. This was because Mary needed to live in her judicial district. In 2007, she left her judge position to work for a dispute-resolution company.
Pawlenty was raised Roman Catholic. He later became an Evangelical Protestant. This change was influenced by his wife, Mary. She is a member of Wooddale Church. Pawlenty has said he still respects the Catholic Church and sometimes attends Mass there.
Pawlenty is often called "TPaw" or "T-Paw." In 2004, he ran the Twin Cities Marathon. He finished the race in 3 hours, 57 minutes, and 52 seconds. He was the first sitting governor to run this race.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2003
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Cursive signature in ink
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The Minnesota Supreme Court chamber at the Minnesota State Capitol
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A United States Postal Service vehicle advertising its use of E85 fuel during the Saint Paul Winter Carnival parade in January 2007
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U.S. Representative Keith Ellison speaking at the site of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Governor Pawlenty is on the left.
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Tim Pawlenty meeting Minnesota National Guard troops in Kosovo (April 12, 2008)
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Pawlenty at a book signing in February 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Tim Pawlenty with his wife, Mary
See also
In Spanish: Tim Pawlenty para niños
