Tim Pawlenty
From dKosopedia
Category: Minnesota Republicans
Biography
Tim Pawlenty (R) was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2002, succeeding Jesse Ventura. Pawlenty won with 44% of the vote in a three-way race, beating former DFL Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, who garnered 36% of the vote, and former Congressman Tim Penny, who ran as an Independence Party candidate and received 16% of the vote. He was reelected in 2006, defeating Mike Hatch.
Prior to being governor, Pawlenty was the Republican Majority Leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Criticism
Pawlenty uses his boyish good looks to push through hard-line theocracy and prejudice. One of his first moves in office was an attempt to repeal human rights ordinances for gays and lesbians (he said in Nov. 2001 that his vote in favor of them in 1993 was the one he wished he could take back). When that failed, he repealed the health care and sick leave benefits for same-sex partners in the state.
In 2004 he repeatedly pressed for the DFL-controlled state senate to pass an amendment to ban all benefits for same-sex couples. While the state legislature was busy killing his much-hyped but publically disliked attempt to bring back the death penalty, and removing or dismantling the power of a number of his appointees, he was holding huge rallies featuring anti-gay zealots holding up huge banners saying GIVE GAYS THE DEATH PENALTY!!! Pawlenty, in spite of his "Christian" nature, has yet to answer questions as to why he has such a blase attitude about the murder of gays and lesbians.