Area Republicans aren’t picking favorites among potential candidates to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but whoever the party nominates in the summer of 2010 will have the strong support of GOP lawmakers.

With Democrats holding overwhelming majorities in the House and Senate, retaining the governor’s office is crucial for the Republican Party.

“He was our only strength and we were his only strength,” said Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, referring to Pawlenty and the House Republican minority that was just big enough to keep the governor’s vetoes from being overridden by Democrats. “... It’s really worrisome for us.”

It’s also clear that there’s no obvious front-runner for the party. Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, who lives on a farm near Lafayette, said Tuesday that she was always cautioned to “never say never” but isn’t inclined to run.

“I think it’s probably highly unlikely that I’d be looking at a governorship,” Molnau said.

Seven Minnesota Republicans said Tuesday they’re thinking about getting in, according to the Associated Press. They were Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, House Minority Leader Marty Seifert of Marshall, state Sen. David Hann of Eden Prairie, state Rep. Paul Kohls of Victoria, former state auditor Pat Anderson, former U.S. Sen. Rod Grams and Charlie Weaver, Pawlenty’s former chief of staff.

Also high on the GOP list of possibilities are former House Speaker Steve Sviggum, state Rep. Laura Brod of New Prague and businessman and GOP activist Brian Sullivan, who in 2002 lost a tight party endorsement battle to Pawlenty. Brod represents Le Sueur County and part of Sibley County in the state House.

Cornish and Rep. Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont, who each said they weren’t interested in getting into the race, said Brod would be a strong candidate.

“I always thought she was sort of grooming herself to be secretary of state,” Gunther said. “She would be good at whatever she decides to do.”

Both Cornish and Gunther also thought their state senator — Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont — should consider running.

“She’d be a great candidate,” Cornish said, pointing to her connections to business and agriculture through her family’s meatpacking and agricultural chemical company. “... I think Minnesota’s ready for a female governor.”

Rosen, preparing for a large graduation party for her youngest son on Saturday, said she has other issues on her mind this week. But even after having time to think it over, the two-term senator doesn’t expect to take the plunge.

“I’ve been approached several times, but at this point I don’t think so,” Rosen said.

Whoever enters the race will probably find the track crowded with runners. Cornish predicts as many as a dozen serious candidates.

The Democratic field could be of similar size. Several lawmakers, including Sen. John Marty of Roseville who was in Mankato for a campaign stop Tuesday, are already running.

One prominent lawmaker with a strong Mankato connection is believed to be strongly considering a run for the Democratic nomination. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis is a Mankato native and a graduate of West High School and Gustavus Adolphus College.