A look at GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s critical comments of Trump
The rally in Duluth is supposed to be for for Pete Stauber, a Republican congressional candidate running in the traditionally Democratic 8th District. Home of the state’s famed Iron Range, Minnesota is important ground for Trump as a place where his new tariffs on foreign steel could play especially well. The GOP primary is set for Aug. 14.
But Mr. Trump hasn’t held back on his opinions of GOP incumbents he dislikes. The night before a primary for Republican Rep. Mark Sanford of North Carolina, the president blasted Sanford on Twitter and urged people to vote for his primary opponent. Sanford lost. On Capitol Hill Tuesday night, Mr. Trump again mocked Sanford in a meeting with House Republicans, reportedly calling him “nasty.”Few Republicans have criticized Trump more strongly than Pawlenty, who is seeking his old job once more.
In 2016, Pawlenty said Mr. Trump was “unsound, uninformed, unhinged and unfit to be president of the United States” in the days after a recording of the presidential candidate making vulgar comments about women surfaced. After launching his campaign in April, Pawlenty said he still voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 and supports the president’s policies.
Jeff Johnson, the state GOP’s endorsed candidate for governor, has been stronger in his support of the president. He and his allies have portrayed himself as more in tune with the party’s base and say Pawlenty — who holds a huge fundraising advantage — should be disqualified for his criticism of Trump.
Republican political operative Gregg Peppin said it’s another chance for Mr. Trump to aid an underdog candidate who has been a loyal supporter.
“I think it’s a pretty cut-and-dried case in this instance,” said Peppin, who worked for another GOP candidate for governor who has since quit the race. “It presents the president with an excellent opportunity to test his theory. Whether he’ll do that, remains to be seen.”
