Tim Pawlenty: Too Fiscally Irresponsible for Minnesota

Minnesota can’t afford to go back to the Pawlenty era

Yesterday, two separate national bond rating agencies – Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s— gave Minnesota their highest “AAA” bond rating, confirming Minnesota’s continued progress under the Mark Dayton administration.
Through eight years of sound fiscal management, Governor Dayton and his administration have been able to revitalize Minnesota and recover from the dark days of the Pawlenty administration.
Under his failed tenure as governor, Minnesota lost its perfect bond rating for the first time since 1997. The cause of the downgrade? According to Moody’s, “ongoing fiscal Weakness and heavy reliance on one-shots to balance its books.”
“It took eight years of sound fiscal management under the leadership of Governor Dayton to recover Minnesota’s AAA bond rating, saving the taxpayers money,” says Democratic Governors Association Deputy Communications Director David Turner. “Tim Pawlenty only made life more expensive for Minnesota families forcing their kids to foot the bill. After leaving behind $6.2 billion deficit and schools underfunded by $2 billion dollars, the biggest mystery in this race is why he thinks he deserves to get the job again.”