Former Governor Tim Pawlenty, who’s running for a third term, announces his lieutenant governor running mate this morning (9am) at the State Capitol. It comes one day before Republicans open their state convention in Duluth, but Pawlenty says because he entered the race so late he won’t seek his party’s endorsement and will run in the August primary election. Several names are in the rumor mill as Pawlenty’s possible choice for a running mate — most notably former state Senator Michelle Fischbach from Paynesville, who resigned her legislative seat just before the Memorial Day weekend and was officially sworn is as a Republican lieutenant governor in the Democratic Mark Dayton administration.