Tim Pawlenty to run for Republican nomination

The list of Republican contenders to take on Barack Obama in 2012 is beginning to take shape, with Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, announcing he is to run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. After months of speculation, potential candidates have been formally declaring a run over the last few weeks and, to the dismay of the Republican establishment, even more have declined to enter. There are only a few undecided candidates left. The outspoken congressswoman Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party favourite, is likely to join in the next few weeks. Sarah Palin, another Tea Party favourite, has still to say whether she will run. Pawlenty is so little known outside the midwest and generates such little excitement that normally he would stand almost no chance. But the field is so light that he is immediately propelled into the leading pack, along with Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Newt Gingrich, the former speaker. Some conservative commentators are so unenthusiastic by the present field they are urging those who have already declined to stand to think again. The editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, William Kristol, predicted in his blog that someone outside the present field would stand: such as Palin; Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida; Rick Perry, the governor of Texas; or someone else who has already ruled themselves out. "It would be unfair to call the current field a vacuum. But it doesn't exactly represent an overflowing of political talent," Kristol said. He added that potential candidates could even wait until the autumn before declaring. Such is the lack of excitement generated by the present field that even mogul Donald Trump, who only two weeks ago declared he would not be standing, hinted that he might reconsider. He phoned Fox News to say: "I can't rule out anything ... [It's] vital that we choose the right person, and at this moment, I don't see that person." Pawlenty formally made his announcement on the campaign trail in Iowa, where the first of the Republican caucuses and primaries is scheduled to be held in February next year. A win in Iowa can provide a candidate with momentum and Pawlenty has made frequent trips there this year. Pawlenty, in his announcement speech, said America was in trouble economically and Obama was not prepared to tell people the truth about what it would take to fix it. "If we want to grow our economy, we need to shrink our government. If we want to create jobs, we need to encourage job creators. If we want our children to be free to pursue their dreams, we can't shackle them with our debts. This is a time for truth," Pawlenty said. The Republican establishment had been hoping that Mitch Daniels, the Indiana governor, would stand but, after a week of teasing, he dropped out on Sunday. Republicans are not standing for a variety of reasons: because they do not want their private lives to be scrutinised; because they do not want to make the shift to the right needed to appease groups such as the Tea Party; because they think Obama is unbeatable; or because they cannot raise the millions needed. Romney ran a poor, stilted campaign in 2008 that saw John McCain win the Republican nomination. Romney's main advantage is that he is a multimillionaire and has devoted much of this year to fundraising efforts, leaving him in a position to outspend rivals such as Gingrich and Pawlenty. Others who have declared are: congressman Ron Paul; Herman Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza; and Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico.