House 1993-2002 (District 38B)
Party when first elected: Independent Republican
Counties Served: Dakota
South Saint Paul High School; Secondary; University of Minnesota; B.A.; Political Science, 1983University of Minnesota, Law School; J.D.; 1986
Spouse: Mary Elizabeth Anderson Pawlenty (married in 1987, she was a Minnesota district court judge, 1994-2007) Children: Two children: Anna and Mara (daughters) Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
He was of Polish and German ancestry.He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican party endorsement for President of the United States in the 2012 election. He stepped down after coming in third in the August 2011 Iowa straw poll.He ran usuccessfully for the Republican party endorsement for Minnesota Governor in the 1998 election. He dropped out of the race when Norm Coleman announced that he was running.In 2018, he ran for governor but did not seek party endorsement. He lost the primary.Religion provided by the Star Tribune. They state that he is a member of Wooddale Church which is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference. (Star Tribune, 11/7/2006). He's been identified as being raised Catholic and converting to the Baptist faith. Other sources (such as Wikipedia) also identify him as Baptist, while a City Pages article identified him as Lutheran; in 2006, the Governor's Office identified him as Christian. The Daily Telegraph in 2010 states "A Catholic who converted to become a Protestant evangelical."