Advertisement The comments from the Minnesota governor were the latest sign that the campaign of presumptive the GOP nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and Wisconsin Republicans see energy policy as a key issue that could win them votes in Wisconsin.
"They act as if they've found an issue that squeezes Obama between the environmentalists and gas prices," said Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political scientist.
The university's reactor is a small one — 3,000 times smaller than a nuclear reactor used to generate power — that is used for research and has been operated on campus for about 50 years.
At a news conference before touring the nuclear reactor, Pawlenty said energy policy will be a defining issue in the November election.
"If you ask people in places like Wisconsin and Minnesota what are some of the things that are most concerning to you and most important to you in the election this fall, one of the things that comes immediately to mind is the economy and energy prices," Pawlenty said. "I think this is going to be a very large and important issue for Wisconsin voters."
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke called McCain's energy policy "a poll-driven gimmick" that won't make a difference to state voters.
Whether the issue helps McCain here will depend on how independent and moderate Democratic voters react, Franklin said. "If they believe McCain has the right ideas on energy policy, it hurts Obama," he said.
Voter interest
As gas prices have climbed, energy policy has taken on an increasingly prominent role in the presidential campaign, including Wisconsin.
Last month, McCain and Obama aired dueling ads on energy policy in the state, and the Republican National Committee also paid for an ad criticizing Obama for offering "no new solutions" on energy.
A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey of 1,094 likely Wisconsin voters released in late July showed 52 percent of respondents said a candidate's position on energy will be more important to them than their position on Iraq, while 47 percent said the Iraq position was more important. The poll has a 3 percentage point margin of error.
While the poll represents a snapshot in time, Republicans said other results from the poll give them hope that McCain can make inroads in Wisconsin, where the 2004 election was decided by 11,400 votes and the 2000 election was decided by 5,700 votes.
The poll found:
"You can feel the race tightening up and this is one of the issues that has done it for McCain," said Mark Jefferson, state GOP executive director.
But Wineke said if gas prices fall in the coming weeks, energy policy will become less of a priority for voters.
"The bigger issue when it comes to voting is whether people feel secure about the future, and generally the answer is no, and that generally bodes well for the Democrats," he said.
The poll also found 88 percent favor a government-funded program to develop renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power and biofuels. And 78 percent said they support higher mileage standards for cars. Both issues align with Obama's energy policy.
Pawlenty's role
Pawlenty, 47, attended a McCain fundraiser in Madison before touring the campus reactor, and he met with McCain volunteers in Waukesha and attended another fundraiser later in the day.
He declined to comment on whether he is being reviewed as a potential vice presidential pick for McCain.
Wineke said Monday that if chosen as McCain's running mate, Pawlenty could help the ticket pick up votes in western Wisconsin communities affected by the Twin Cities media market. But Wineke said he doubts Pawlenty's presence on the ballot would matter elsewhere in Wisconsin.
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