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August 14, 2011
Pawlenty Drops 2012 Presidential Bid
Tim Pawlenty announced an end to his presidential candidacy Sunday after what he called a “disappointing” third place finish in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll.
The former Minnesota governor said he had hoped to get a jolt from the preference poll that is an early indicator of a candidate’s potential strength in the primary season.
“I’m ending my campaign for president,” Pawlenty told ABC’s “This Week,” noting that he wished the scenario had been different but voters were looking for something else.
The message Pawlenty was offering "didn't get the kind of traction or lift that we needed and hoped for coming into the and out of the Ames straw poll. We needed to get some lift to continue on and to have a pathway forward. That didn't happen," he said.
"Obviously, we had some success raising money, but we needed to continue that, and Ames was a benchmark for that. And if we didn't do well in Ames, we weren't going to have the fuel to keep the car going down the road," he added.
Pawlenty received 13 percent of the vote in the Saturday poll, which is not generally a marker of the future presidential nominee. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann received 28 percent of the nearly 17,000 votes cast followed by Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who earned 27 percent. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum earned 9 percent and businessman Herman Cain received 8 percent.
Wild Thing's comment.......
Did anyone notice that yesterday in Iowa he was generally unable to look anyone in the eye while greeting them?
Kind of odd especially if a person wants to connect with the other person.
I am glad, Pawlenty has a way about him that rubs me the wrong way. Something in his personality that seems angry and a chip on his shoulder.
Posted by Wild Thing at August 14, 2011 12:47 PM
Comments
Good! I am glad he dropped out. Pawlenty seemed to be geared to running a dirty campaign more than a positive one.
Posted by: TomR, armed in Texas at August 14, 2011 05:07 PM
Tom, me too, I feel the same way.
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2011 12:49 AM
