Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the $100,000 check he delivered to the Alabama GOP on Friday came from Bob Perry, a Houston homebuilder and major Republican donor.

Pawlenty says Perry asked him to courier the donation in late January.

Pawlenty says he was visiting Houston and Dallas to raise money for his national political committee and the Republican Governors Association. He says Perry brought up his upcoming trip to Alabama, where Pawlenty headlined a fundraising dinner for the state party.

Perry was instrumental in Pawlenty’s 2006 re-election in Minnesota. Perry contributed $500,000 to A Stronger America, which ran ads against Pawlenty’s Democratic opponent late in the campaign.

Perry also helped finance the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.