It was a day later and about half an hour shorter than he had hoped for, but Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty took the stage at the Republican National Convention on Thursday to lend his support to the presidential candidacy of John McCain.

Until last week, Pawlenty was strongly considered as a possible vice president by the McCain campaign. That changed with the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who took center stage on Wednesday.

In a six-minute speech Thursday, Pawlenty made no mention of the closeness of his finish in the vice presidential sweepstakes but pushed his concept of "Sam's Club Republicans" in the party, holding government accountable and keeping taxes low.

"These voters are on a tight budget. They're looking for value and accountability at the store. And they're looking for value and accountability from their government," he said.

He pointed to McCain's early support of the Iraq war troop surge, largely unpopular at the time, as evidence of his willingness to buck conventional wisdom. Pawlenty has traveled to Iraq with McCain several times and said he witnessed the understanding McCain brings to the complexities of the office, particularly for a country at war.

"I saw firsthand how he loves and admires our troops, and I saw how they love and admire him. They know how he personally understands the costs of war," Pawlenty said. "They also know how committed he is to doing whatever it takes to ensure they come home with honor and victory."

Earlier in the evening, Erik Paulsen, a Republican running for Minnesota's Third District House seat, spoke briefly, calling for reforms in Washington and within the Republican Party.

"If elected I will not only do my part in Congress, I will work to reacquaint my own party with the principle of fiscal responsibility," Paulsen said. "We are on the verge of new leadership for our nation. Our next president, John McCain, with the help of a new generation of Republican reformers, will restore the people's confidence in Republican leadership."

Paulsen is facing Democrat Ashwin Madia and Independence Party candidate David Dillon in the race for the seat held by retiring Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad.

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636