Jul 20, 2007 10:29 pm US/Central
Pawlenty To Chair National Governor's Association
(WCCO)
Minnesota's Governor is in the national spotlight this weekend, as his political star continues to rise. Governor Tim Pawlenty will take the reins as head of the powerful National Governor's Association.
It's a position that could signal more national attention on Minnesota's 2nd term governor. Pawlenty downplays his role as the newly elected head of the nation's governors. To hear him tell it, it's an inside-baseball honor that most people neither know, nor care about.
"The NGA's a pretty powerful voice when it comes to federal law changes that affect this state," Pawlenty said.
In fact, the 100-year-old National Governor's Association is considered among the most influential groups in the country. Politically, the NGA's leader carries a lot of clout, representing 49 other governors of both parties.
"Obviously you've got the president, anytime the president holds a press conference, it's national news. But after the president, maybe a few members of congress, the head of the National Governors Association has got the biggest bullhorn," said Larry Jacobs of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
For those who seek it, the National Governor's Association can be a launching pad for national office. Many former NGA chairs went on to become U. S. Senators, Cabinet Secretaries and even President of the United States.
Former President Bill Clinton used the post in 1987 to begin his presidential campaign. Although Pawlenty has raised his national profile as co-chairman of the John McCain campaign for president, the governor insists he has no national ambitions.
"My complete focus and total focus is on being the governor of Minnesota," Pawlenty said in November.
The National Governor's Association convenes this weekend in Traverse City Michigan and Governor Pawlenty takes over as NGA chairman on Monday. He's expected to make alternative energy the focus of his year in office, highlighting some of the programs already underway in Minnesota.
Governor Pawlenty is not the first Minnesota chief executive to run the National Governor's Association. Governor Harold Stassen did it back in 1941.
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