September 12, 2011 09:18 PM UTC

Pawlenty Backs Romney--Will It Help?

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• by: Colorado Pols

ABC News:

One month ago Tim Pawlenty was on a stage in Iowa debating against Mitt Romney, but today the former Minnesota governor – no longer in the presidential race – became a national co-chair for Romney’s campaign.

“Mitt Romney is fighting for the same things I fought for as governor and during my campaign for president,” Pawlenty said today. “As a former blue state governor, I appreciate what Mitt was able to do in Massachusetts. He created jobs and balanced his budgets without raising taxes – even with an over eighty percent Democrat legislature. That ability to get things done is what we need in our nominee.”

It’s generally agreed that Mitt Romney did well in last week’s debate against Texas Gov. Rick Perry–critically for Romney, as a poor showing would have only added weight to polls showing Perry erasing Romney’s frontrunner status. Romney’s Friday fundraiser in Denver went well, at least based on the very limited press coverage he received, and the endorsement from Pawlenty is helpful…well, we’ll have to get back to you on exactly how it’s helpful, but we assume it is.

Don’t expect that any of this is causing Romney’s staff to breathe a sigh of relief, though–any “stability” that Romney is hoping to show after last week’s debate isn’t yet reflected in poll numbers. The polls show, no matter how many local GOP luminaries co-host his fundraisers or also-ran candidates join Team Romney, that he is the candidate with everything to lose.