Tim Pawlenty is at or near the top of John McCain’s VP dance card, thanks in large part to the Minnesota governor's friendship with the candidate, the Boston Globe reports. Unlike Mitt Romney, Pawlenty simply gets along well with McCain, who's well known for his insistence on loyalty. A new poll showing McCain nearly tied with Barack Obama in Minnesota helps Pawlenty's case.
"I think John McCain will pick a candidate that he is really, really comfortable with," says David Durenberger, a mentor of Pawlenty's who served in the Senate with McCain. (More John McCain stories.)