MN governor Tim Pawlenty:

"His mother died of cancer when he was 16 and he was reared in a working-class neighborhood — later featured in a campaign commercial — by a Teamster father who brought up five kids on a milk truck driver's salary.

And even though he topped out on his high school's junior varsity squad, Pawlenty still laces up the skates and plays ice hockey with other over-the-hill ex-jocks.

Add in his fondness for fishing — after hockey, the state's other obsession — and 'TPaw', as the North Star State chattering class calls him, fits the mold of an average Minnesota guy.

That regular-guy, suburban persona is matched with retail political skills that have enabled him to twice win election in a left-leaning state with a long progressive tradition.

'He's a phenomenal talent,' says Lawrence Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor. 'He's Clintonian in terms of being able to connect with an audience. It just drives Democrats crazy.'

One of those Democrats who battled Pawlenty when the governor served as state House Majority Leader was Roger Moe, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party stalwart who served as state Senate Majority Leader for over two decades.

'Politically, he's pretty skilled, no question about it,' says Moe, who lost in a three-way gubernatorial race to Pawlenty in 2002. 'He's a bright guy .'"


The man also plays Rock'n'Roll guitar and is a big fan of Springsteen.