Minn.'s Gov. Pawlenty creating 2008 GOP buzz.

[No more McShame]

I voted for him in 2002.  And probably would have voted for him in 2006 again if I remained in MN, but I can think of several in the GOP that I would rather see win the nomination.

[No more McShame]

Penny did so wel lbecause the Indpeendnece Party is pretty big here (or was at the time, they've been collapsing lately) and he was a former congressman from the district I live in and very popular. I still voted for the Democrat though, but all those counties he won or came in second in are because they were in his old seat.

He probably cost the Democrat the election though, going by the figures compared to the Senate race then and the Gore/Kerry numbers I'd guess his voters would've broke 2:1 for Moe without him.

For the record, I live in that big very light blue county on the upper left corner of the green, right at the nexus with the upside down triangle county (which is where I work) and the one to the right of it. Even though Pawlenty won the county with Moe coming in third and Penny in second, Pawlenty came in 3rd in my precinct with Moe winning it. We have much more sense than the rest of the county.

Mankato?  I don't know if I agree with your analysis that Moe would have won.  Most of the people in those SE counties are conservatives that would vote for a Dem like Penny but not for one like Moe.  Don't think the 2-1 analysis would work in that situation.

[No more McShame]

Still only one county.  Who knows, maybe Moe would have won, I just don't buy this Penny vote breaking 2 to 1 for Moe.  A lot of those people would have stayed home in the off-year and a lot of them may have voted for Pawlenty.