Pawlenty campaign raised more than $850,000 in '07

Gov. Pawlenty
Gov. Tim Pawlenty campaigning for Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Michigan earlier this month,
MPR Photos/Tom Scheck

(AP) - Gov. Tim Pawlenty's re-election campaign pulled in more than $850,000 last year, more than he's ever raised during a year when he wasn't on the ballot.

Pawlenty's political operation ended the year with $375,000 in the bank, after spending $648,000 on items including fundraising and radio ads opposing tax increases proposed by legislative Democrats, according to a summary released Wednesday by the campaign. About 14,000 people donated.

The Republican governor set a new spending record in the 2006 gubernatorial race, when he spent nearly $4 million and won a second term. Campaign finance reports show that he raised almost $3.4 million that year. In non-election years, his previous fundraising high mark was $811,000 in 2005.

Pawlenty's current term runs through 2010. He is expected to decide whether to run again late this year.

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"He has not ruled out a third term yet and he's continuing to raise like he will run," said political director Trisha Hamm.

The Pawlenty for Governor Committee plans to buy television and radio ads this year to support Pawlenty's legislative priorities, she said.

The governor's collections dwarfed the amount raised by Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner, the only Democrat with a registered campaign committee for governor. Gaertner said she took in roughly $45,000 in 2007, although her final report was still being prepared. She said she held back on fundraising.

"We had very limited fundraising goals because the race is three years away," Gaertner said. "We didn't want to raise money at the pace where we would be drawing money away from the '08 races."

The deadline to file 2007 finance reports with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board is Thursday. Full reports will appear on the board's Web site on Friday.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)