"I also think, by the way, the Republicans should support a reasonable increase in the minimum wage," Pawlenty said. "If you're going to talk the talk about being for the middle class and the working-person, if we have a minimum wage, it should be reasonably adjusted from time to time."
Pawlenty is now the head of the Financial Services Roundtable. His 2012 campaign ended early after he failed to gain support in the Iowa straw poll.
As governor, Pawlenty signed one minimum wage increase into law but later vetoed another one. The first one upped the wage to $6.15. The latter would have brought it to $7.75 in 2009.
Minnesota's minimum wage has long been one of the lowest in the country, but the state legislature recently increased it.