Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, will be in New Hampshire next month, raising speculation that he is preparing for a presidential run.

Pawlenty will be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Republican Senate Majority Committee, which will be held Dec. 16 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

State Sen. Peter Bragdon said the group chose Pawlenty because he is well-known among Republican activists and has been to New Hampshire before, campaigning for the John McCain-Sarah Palin presidential ticket in 2008.

"We were looking around for people who would be interested in helping us raise some money," Bragdon said.

Asked whether the appearance in the first-in-the-nation primary state was preparation for a 2012 presidential run, Bragdon said that was a question for Pawlenty. "It's not from our perspective, though it would not be unreasonable for someone to be thinking that," Bragdon said.

In October, Pawlenty set up a political action committee called Freedom First to help Republican candidates win the 2010 elections. (Patrick Hynes of Now! Hampshire is working as a political technology consultant for the PAC.)

Pawlenty spoke in Iowa, the home of the first presidential caucus, last weekend, criticizing President Obama and congressional Democrats for not doing more to address jobs and the economy. He is scheduled to speak tomorrow in Florida. During the recent New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial campaigns, Pawlenty campaigned for the Republican candidates.

Over the last two to three months, Pawlenty has visited Florida, Ohio, Michigan, South Dakota and California, according to Alex Conant, a spokesman for Freedom First.

"Ever since he announced he would not seek re-election last summer, he's been traveling the country helping other Republicans, and New Hampshire is one of many such stops," Conant said.

Asked whether Pawlenty was setting the stage for a presidential run, Conant said, "He doesn't know what he's going to do after he's done being governor."

Mike Dennehy, a former adviser to McCain's 2008 campaign and a political consultant for Senate Republicans, is helping to organize the event, which will cost $50 a ticket.

"We set the price to attract as many people who would like to come," Dennehy said.

Pawlenty also recently fueled speculation when he called Republican state Sen. Ted Gatsas to congratulate him on his victory in the Manchester mayoral race.

"Given that he called Gatsas to congratulate him on winning a mayoral race, I figured a visit wasn't too far behind," said independent political analyst Dean Spiliotes.

Spiliotes said he expects presidential candidates to begin announcing officially in late 2010 or early 2011, but Pawlenty "seems to be doing all the right things" to establish a foundation for a presidential run.

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