DGA Statement on Tim Pawlenty’s Entry into the Minnesota Governor’s Race

Today, DGA Deputy Communications Director David Turner released the following statement in response to Tim Pawlenty’s entry into the Minnesota governor’s race:
“Tim Pawlenty left the state of Minnesota in shambles to go make millions shilling for Wall Street. Upon heading to Washington D.C., Pawlenty left the state of Minnesota with a $6 billion budget deficit, schools underfunded by $2 billion, and hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans out of work.
“Between the disastrous policies coming from Washington and his terrible record as governor, Tim Pawlenty has absolutely nothing to run on. His entry into the race confirms Minnesota Republicans are just recycling the same failed policies that left Minnesota in financial ruin.”

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Background:
PAWLENTY LEFT MINNESOTA A MESS
Star Tribune Editorial Headline: “State No Better Off As Pawlenty Era Ends.” [Star Tribune Editorial, 1/1/11]
Star Tribune: Pawlenty Left “Minnesota Less Prepared for The Challenges of the Next Decade Than it Ought to be.” [Star Tribune Editorial, 1/1/11]
Star Tribune Dane Smith Op-Ed: “We Can’t Escape The Fact That Pawlenty Presided Over The Worst Decade Economically, For Most Minnesotans, Since The 1930s.” [Star Tribune, Smith, 12/18/10]
Star Tribune Dane Smith Op-Ed: “The Most Damaging Statistic for Pawlenty is That Minnesota, Relative to Other States, Generally Performed Worse in the Last Decade Than It Did in Four Previous Decades.” [Star Tribune, Smith, 12/18/10]
FISCAL MESS: $6 BILLION BUDGET DEFICIT 
Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday: “We Checked With The Head Of The Minnesota Taxpayers Association Who Said You Left Your Successor With a $5 Billion Deficit.” [Fox News, 6/13/11]
George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America: “You Left Your Successor With a Deficit to be About $6 Billion.” [Good Morning America, 5/23/11]
Matt Lauer on NBC Today Show: “Former Republican Governor of the State of Minnesota, Arne Carlson, Had This To Say About Your Time There and Your Fiscal Responsibility: Quote, ‘I Don’t Think Any Governor Has Left Behind a Worse Financial Mess Than He Has.’” [NBC Today Show, 5/23/11]
LACK OF JOB GROWTH
Star Tribune Editorial: “Minnesota’s Unemployment Rate is Stalled at an Uncomfortably High 7 Percent.” [Star Tribune Editorial, 1/1/11]
Minnesota Public Radio: “For Most of Pawlenty’s Two Terms Minnesota Lagged the Nation In Creating Jobs.” [MPR, 12/22/10]
Minnesota Only Had 6,200 More Jobs After 8 Years Of Pawlenty. In December 2010, Minnesota Public Radio reported,“For most of Pawlenty’s two terms, Minnesota lagged the nation in creating jobs. A look at Minnesota’s jobs record shows that the state has just 6,200 more workers now than it had in January of 2003.” [MPR, 12/22/10]
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASED
Minnesota Public Radio: “The Number of People Without Health Insurance Has Increased. According to The Minnesota Department of Health, 9.1 Percent of State Residents Did Not Have Health Insurance In 2009, Up From 6.1 Percent In 2001.” [MPR, 12/22/10]