Pawlenty Wants More Opponents (for a Debate)
By JIM RUTENBERG
Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota made a plea on Saturday for more of his likely Republican presidential rivals to join him next week in what was to be the first big debate of the 2012 campaign season — but is now threatening to be a relatively sparsely attended affair.
“I hope all of the serious or even potential candidates are going to get in this debate because, look, this is a president who’s got his challenges, but he’s going to raise a billion dollars; he’s a very gifted campaigner and we’ve got to start taking the case to the American people why he should be fired,” Mr. Pawlenty said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Saturday morning.
The South Carolina Republican Party debate will be held in Greenville on Thursday and will be shown on Fox News.
At this point it is unclear who will be there to spar with Mr. Pawlenty. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts has not directly commented on whether he will attend, and he ducked a question about it during a campaign stop at a gas station in Manchester, N.H., on Friday; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has indicated he will not be showing up; and so on.
Earlier this week the Fox News Channel executive in charge of the debate, Michael Clemente, said that several candidates had expressed interest, including Herman Cain, a former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza, and Representative Ron Paul of Texas. So Mr. Pawlenty will not be alone.
But even if few other potential contenders join him, at least Mr. Pawlenty — who has been busily trying to introduce himself to caucus and primary voters — and the others who do appear will have something to show for it: more of the screen time on Fox News of the sort money cannot buy.
