Gubernatorial bid for Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau?

With Gov. Tim Pawlenty not seeking another term and a competitive race to succeed him heating up, Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau is pondering her own future.

In a pair of interviews, including one at Farmfest, where Molnau appeared Thursday, the controversial Republican lieutenant governor said she was discussing her future plans with her family. She left open the possibility that she would join the growing field of 2010 gubernatorial candidates.

Though she said she has not been approached to run, Molnau also is being mentioned as a possible opponent of Democratic First District Congressman Tim Walz.

Seventeen months after she was ousted as the head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation in the aftermath of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, Molnau has largely kept a low profile. Her official appearances typically have been at small gatherings, particularly in outstate Minnesota, where Republican officials said her appeal is strongest.

"My family and I have done some talking and ... we haven't come to a conclusion," Molnau said Thursday at Farmfest of a possible gubernatorial bid.

But the day before, contacted at her home in rural Lafayette, Molnau was more vague about finishing her term, which runs through 2010. When asked, Molnau replied, "God knows that -- I'm not sure. Everybody assumes that that will happen, but nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, so I'm not sure."

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