Eric Kleefeld July 7, 2011, 1:58 PM

Tim Pawlenty is reaching out to the youth vote — and showing how much he knows about Lady Gaga.

During an interview in Iowa, with the Washington-based pop culture blog Glittarazzi, Pawlenty was asked about his favorite musicians, which include the likes of Bruce Springsteen and various country singers. Pawlenty then actually brought up the subject of Lady Gaga. “But I’ve got a question for you guys?” said Pawlenty. “Are you ready: What’s your favorite Lady Gaga song?”

After they listed their favorites, Pawlenty discussed his own, showing off his Gaga knowledge. “Well you know, in terms of the beat, I like ‘Bad Romance,’” Pawlenty said. “I gotta say, even though she’s a little unusual, ‘Born this Way’ has got some appeal. Now, she’s actually very talented. If you go to the end of the HBO special, the Lady Gaga HBO special, and you watch her sing a cappella, ‘Born This Way,’ she can sing. She can definitely sing — she’s talented — and she does it a cappella.

“So, you know, interesting, talented — a little weird. But you know, if you had to limit your artistic choices to just conservatives, we wouldn’t have a lot of choices. You’ve gotta be willing to tolerate different politics.”

It does seem a bit odd that Pawlenty, who favors amending the U.S. Constitution to outlaw gay marriage, would also like the song “Born This Way,” which focuses heavily on gay rights.

Pawlenty previously brought on the Lady Gaga references back in early April. Speaking to a College Republican event in Iowa, he declared: “If this was a Lady Gaga song, the relationship between the youth vote and Barack Obama would be ‘Bad Romance.’”

(Via the Los Angeles Times.)

2012 Presidential Primaries, 2012 elections, Iowa, Iowa caucus, Lady Gaga, Pres '12, Tim Pawlenty