Pawlenty announces his candidacy for governor Posted 9/7/01 by Erin Johnson Staff Writer House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty announced that he will run for governor in the 2002 election. Pawlenty will be vying with fellow Republican Brian Sullivan for their partyís endorsement. Pawlenty said he will ìvery aggressivelyî seek the Republican Partyís endorsement, but he will abide by the partyís choice. The announcement was made to a packed house Wednesday morning at Croatian Hall in South St. Paul where Pawlenty grew up. ìItís clear to me that something isnít right in Minnesota now,î he said. ìOur state needs leadership for the 21st century, and weíre not getting it from our current governor. We can do better.î ìWe can do betterî is a theme that echoed throughout Pawlentyís speech as he imparted a message to his party and the people of Minnesota. ìItís a message of reducing government in peopleís lives, but itís also a message of hope and help for those who need it,î he said. Pawlenty outlined his three priorities as governor ó children, roads and jobs. As governor, Pawlenty said, he would demand the repeal of the Profiles of Learning, demand adequate funding of schools with strict accountability and encourage the introduction of ìcharacter curriculum,î such as citizenship, honesty and courtesy. In addition, he said, he wants to aggressively expand charitable and nonprofit services geared toward children in need. Metro-area traffic congestion and the lack of adequate roads and bridges in greater Minnesota are an embarrassment to the state, he said. ìOur highway system is 30 years out of date in many areas and a significant increase in road funding is needed,î he said. Pawlenty said that he has a way to improve roads without increasing government, which he will reveal later in his campaign. In terms of jobs, Pawlenty said, the next governor will need to be much more active in job creation and economic development. ìWe need to develop bench strength in our economy so that the next 3Ms, Medtronics and Lawson softwares are being hatched here and stay here,î he said. ìWe need more research and development, more venture capital investment and a more favorable climate for job growth.î Pawlenty likened the Ventura era to a ìpolitical Woodstock.î ìItís been interesting. It may even have involved ... a symbolic message, but there comes a time like with Woodstock where you need to go home, take a shower and get back to the work of making Minnesota a great place to live and work,î he said. Pawlenty, who was stopped short of announcing his Senate run by a phone call from Vice President Dick Cheney, said he is the underdog in this race and in his own party. ìThere are some folks within the party who have shut some doors on me, and now Iím going to kick a few open,î he said. Pawlenty, an attorney, served on the Eagan City Council before being elected to the House in 1992. He said he will remain the House majority leader throughout his campaign. ©Thisweek Newspapers