Tim Pawlenty

Timothy James Pawlenty (; born November 27, 1960) is an American businessman and politician. He was a Republican politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota (2003–2011). He previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives (1993–2003), where he was majority leader for two terms. In 2011, he entered the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination and later was a potential vice presidential nominee before serving as co-chair of Mitt Romney's campaign. Pawlenty was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and raised in nearby South St. Paul. He graduated from University of Minnesota with a B.A. in political science and a J.D. His early career included working as a labor law attorney and the vice president of a software as a service company. After settling in the city of Eagan with his wife, Pawlenty was appointed to the city's Planning Commission and was elected to the Eagan City Council at the age of 28. He won a seat as a state representative in 1992, representing District 38B in suburban Dakota County. He was re-elected four times and was voted majority leader by House Republicans in 1998. After narrowly winning the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2002, Pawlenty won a three-way election for Governor of Minnesota, and was re-elected in 2006 by a margin of less than one percent. His campaign platform focused on balancing the budget without raising taxes. During Pawlenty's governorship, he did not raise income taxes, but did enact targeted increases in sales tax and user fees. His administration advocated for numerous public works projects, including work on the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, and the construction of Target Field, a Major League Baseball stadium in Minneapolis. He signed a bill mandating 20% ethanol in gasoline by 2013. He cut health care costs in an attempt to balance the budget, and borrowed funds from the state's K-12 education and low income programs. He signed an executive order rejecting federal funds related to the Patient