What about Tim Pawlenty for vice president?

The question was put to social conservative activists and organizers across Ohio about the two-term Republican governor of Minnesota, who'll visit the state Monday to campaign for John McCain, and has been mentioned as a vice presidential pick for the presumptive Republican nominee. The activists help turnout "values voters" who decide how to vote based on social issues, and make up about one-third of Republican votes in Ohio, according to the state party.

Pawlenty is vaguely known among activists but was generally taken to be a genuine social conservative, which the same people said Mitt Romney was not because of his previous position support for abortion rights years ago. Both men are said to be finalists in McCain's vice presidential search. Still, the activists emphasized Pawlenty's record is more important than anything he may say to them personally.

Lori Viars, a leading activist and organizer in Republican politics for 18 years and current member of the Family First political action committee said she doesn't know much about Pawlenty but has talked to Minnesota's Citizens Concerned for Life who told her he's "excellent" on abortion and "spotless" marriage.

"While I'm not familiar with him at all, I'll be excited if he's the choice," Viars said.

However, Pawlenty is virtually unknown to a leader of Citizens for Community Values, the group that spearheaded Ohio's 2004 ballot initiative against gay marriage.  

"He's a governor somewhere?" said Dale Miller, vice president for public policy at CCV. "I've heard him thrown around there as VP."

Miller said he speaks only for himself because CCV is a non-profit organization. While the organization doesn't endorse candidates, it has brought social conservatives to the polls: in 2004 it gathered more than 500,000 signatures to put the marriage amendment on the ballot and turned out thousands to vote for it.

Miller said he wants to know Pawlenty's record more than what he says to activists.

"A candidate can very easily determine who is audience is and say what they want to hear. That's one of the reasons I want to know who these people are based on what they've done in the past," Miller said.

Northeast Ohio Values Voters' executive director Diane Stover said her group educates voters on where candidates stand on social issues, but was speaking for herself when she said Pawlenty would be her choice for vice president, based on her impressions of him.

"I like that he's a governor, because I think you get that executive experience there. I really like his sort of down-to-earth blue-collar style and background," Stover said, specifically his exhortation that the GOP should become the "the party of Sam's Club, not just the country club."

Stover said Pawlenty would play well in northeast Ohio, which she said is less conservative than the southwest, but has more blue-collar workers.

Still, she wants to hear more about his record as governor, including education, and what Minnesotans think of him.

Bobbi Radeck, state director of the Christian conservative non-profit group, Concerned Women for America said she thinks Pawlenty is relatively conservative but wants to know more about his record. Still, she knows enough about Romney to say he would alienate her and other values voters as a vice presidential nominee.

"Between the two of them, I'd rather have Governor Pawlenty before Romney only because Romney has been very wishy-washy on key issues - abortion, marriage especially. I fear that because he's been wishy-washy on them he won't stand as strong as he could when we need him to," Radeck said.

Radeck added that the vice presidential pick will make the difference for values voters who are on the fence about volunteering to support McCain and the GOP.

"They're all worried about the vote, but I really think that it's going to be those people that are on the ground, making the phone calls and talking about the issues because I think that's really where it's won," Radeck said. "So I think he [Pawlenty] should talk to the social conservatives and reassure them that he shares their values, and what's important to them he's going to back up."

Viars, an evangelical Christian, said Pawlenty's or Romney's religion doesn't matter to her, adding that she supported David Smith, a Mormon, in a Republican primary against Mike DeWine for U.S. Senate. Romney is a Mormon, while Pawlenty is an evangelical who was raised Catholic.

Viars said she'll be at McCain's Dayton event next Friday where the vice presidential candidate will likely appear.

"I'm hope I don't go to this rally and am disappointed," Viars said of seeing Romney on stage.