Pawlenty Headlines Tea Party Rally On Boston Common

BOSTON (CBS/AP) - Tea party activists are planning to gather on Boston Common for a tax day rally Friday afternoon.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is headlining the event, which starts at 4 p.m.

Pawlenty is weighing a run for the Republican nomination for president.

The rally is being organized by the Greater Boston Tea Party.  Its leaders say the group works to restore and defend the Constitution.

Greater Boston Tea Party President Christen Varley praised Pawlenty for putting his state "on a course towards economic success."

R.T. Rybak, the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis, has called Pawlenty's fiscal record a "disaster" for the state.

Tea party critics are planning a counter rally to highlight what they say is the group's right wing agenda.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)