Top Stories St. Paul

Last week, Gov. Tim Pawlenty phoned his congratulations to the newly elected mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. But perhaps next month he can extend his wishes in person: Pawlenty will be headlining a GOP fundraiser in nearby Concord. Following up last weekend’s speech in Iowa — home to the first caucuses for the 2012 presidential race — the mid-December event in New Hampshire, which holds the first official primary, can only be seen as a strategic move on behalf of Pawlenty’s still-undeclared bid to run for the White House.

According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Pawlenty will be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Republican Senate Majority Committee PAC on Dec. 16.

Huffington Post’s Sam Stein says the move “drips with significance — and overt calculation.” It’s Pawlenty’s first introduction to critical primary voters, but it’s also part of “an effort to help build up the party apparatus and win seats for the GOP in the mid-term elections (a move that will enamor Republican insiders).”