True North

Tim Pawlenty made it official Monday. He officially endorsed Doug Hoffman to be the next representative for NY-23. RedState's Erick Erickson made this statement about Gov. Pawlenty's endorsement:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota is now adding to the momentum becoming the first sitting Republican Governor to endorse Hoffman. This comes on the heels of Sarah Palin's endorsement from last week.

What makes this stand out even more than the Palin endorsement is that Pawlenty has not been seen as diverging with the Republican establishment. He's not seen as the maverick that Palin is.

But Pawlenty has a huge amount of stature inside the Republican establishment, more so than Palin. That he is now willing to come out in favor of Hoffman is going to resonate among the Republican establishment in ways Palin's endorsement will not.

People have questioned Gov. Pawlenty's ties to the GOP establishment. Clearly, he wasn't seen in the same light as Sarah Palin as an outsider out to clean up the political establishment. Because he's been seen as a party man, this move changes people's perspectives.

Here's the statement Gov. Pawlenty sent to RedState:

"We cannot send more politicians to Washington who wear the Republican jersey on the campaign trail, but then vote like Democrats in Congress on issues like card check and taxes. After reviewing the candidates' positions, I'm endorsing Doug Hoffman in New York's special election. Doug understands the federal government needs to quit spending so much, will vote against tax increases, and protect key values like the right to vote in private in union elections."

The momentum is clearly shifting in Hoffman's favor. Getting Pawlenty's endorsement adds to that momentum.

It also helps his fundraising down the stretch. It doesn't say that FFPAC contributed to his campaign so I won't speculate on that. still, every day that a new endorsement goes his way keeps Hoffman as the story. He's essentially sucking all the oxygen out of the race, which means he's got a legitimate shot at winning.

That must be getting under the NY GOP's party bosses' skin. They thought they could pick a liberal without worrying about consequences. That's clearly not the case. In 7 days, the will of the people will be known. I doubt that the party bosses' priorities will be the same as the voters of NY-23.

Thanks to Pawlenty's endorsement, Hoffman's chances of winning are getting better every day.

Erick is quick to point out in this post that there are consequences for not endorsing Doug Hoffman:

At a time when the conservative brand is ascending and the Republican brand is still in the gutter, candidates like Romney and Huckabee have a chance to man up and stand with the base of the GOP, a base that is tired of TARP, No Child Left Behind, indictments, and out of control spending.

If candidates step up before noon Wednesday, we should applaud them for their help. An endorsement by that time can still have a meaningful, positive impact on Doug Hoffman's candidacy.

But know this: waiting until after noon on Wednesday is a clear indication that the candidate is endorsing for show, and not really to help. We in the conservative movement want leaders who will stand with us, not suck up to us. Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty are breaking with the party at a key moment.

Perhaps Romney and Huckabee think that there's an advantage to being the establishment, go-along-to-get-along candidate. They're badly mistaken if they think that. We're living in a TEA Party world. Establishment isn't where the action is. Establishment is where candidates like Romney and Huckabee go to their political graveyard.

I'll differ with Erick in this: Even if Romney and Huckabee endorse Hoffman, I'll still wonder whether their endorsements are nothing but political opportunism. It isn't like it'd be the first time with either of these gentlemen.

That's what sets Palin, Pawlenty, Fred Thompson, Rick Santorum and others apart from the Romneys and Huckabees of the GOP universe.

Comments welcome at LFR.