Should the DFL be happy now that Pawlenty's out?

I am sure that there are DFLers who are happy with Commissar Pawlenty’s announcement that he will not run in 2010.

I wonder whether that might not be premature. Nobody has ever been elected to a term which would make him/her mayor for a term exceeding eight consecutive years so unseating Pawlenty certainly would have seemed possible.

On the other hand, we need to look at history. What do Warren Spannaus, John Marty, Mike Freeman, Roger Moe, and Mike Hatch all have in common?

They were all non-incumbents endorsed by the DFL for governor.

None was elected.

Even Rudy Perpich as an incumbent was defeated twice.

The DFL only been able to endorse and elect a non-incumbent for Governor only three times and the last time was in 1970.

Will the streak continue?

[Of course if somehow Pawlenty ends up running for re-election anyway, this whole post will need re-evaluation.]