Bachmann and Pawlenty Eye the Oval Office

The Takeaway

Republicans in Minnesota are buzzing this week, after speculation that Tea Party star and Republican congresswoman from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann may be planning an exploratory committee for a potential 2012 presidential run. This comes just days after former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced his own committee.  Minnesota’s Republican Party chairman Tony Sutton is calling the potential pool of top tier GOP candidates from in his state, “an embarrassment of the riches.” How might the two candidates fare in a national bid?   Minnesota Public Radio’s Tom Scheck says it is a good time to be a Republican in “the land of 10,000 lakes,” but a GOP presidential candidate hasn’t won the state in an election since the 1972 and aren’t likely in 2012, due to the influence of third party voters there.

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