With Minnesota’s Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty looking to go national and a deep field of DFL candidates lining up for a shot at his job, The Washington Post’s The Fix political blog as named Minnesota one of the 15 states in the country most likely to switch political parties in the governor’s office next year.

Mayor R.T. Rybak

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza says the DFL’s best chance to take the seat is a candidate who has yet to even announce a run — Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak.

The last time Minnesota had a DFL governor was in 1991.

Says Cillizza:

“11. Minnesota (R): The fields on both sides of the race to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) are packed with candidates — most of whom have a limited profile statewide. But, Democrats appear to have an ace in the hole in Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak who is widely expected to get into the contest in the near future. Republicans may well have to wait until next year to find out whether former Sen. Norm Coleman will run but given the Democratic trend in the Land of 10,000 Lakes in recent years, it may not matter who the GOP puts up.”

Meanwhile, there is some bad news for Pawlenty, who finished in last place in a Rasmussen GOP 2012 poll, with only 4 percent of GOPers supporting any potential bid. He finished behind Mike Huckabee (29), Mitt Romney (24), Sarah Palin (18) and Newt Gingrich (14). There were also more people considering other candidates (6) and undecided voters (7).