Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is dropping out of the Republican presidential contest, after a disappointing third-place finish in the Iowa Straw Poll Saturday.
“We needed to get some lift to continue on and have a pathway forward,” Pawlenty said this morning in an exclusive interview on “This Week.” “That didn’t happen, so I’m announcing this morning on your show that I’m going to be ending my campaign for president.
“I’m very, very grateful for the people of Iowa,” Pawlenty added. “I wish it would have been different, but obviously the pathway forward for me doesn’t really exist, so we’re going to end the campaign.”
Pawlenty, 50, finished with 2,293 votes in the straw poll, giving him 14 percent of the total ballots cast, more than 2,500 votes behind winner Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., who finished with 28 percent of the vote, and runner-up Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who was close behind with 27 percent.
via Pawlenty Drops Out of Presidential Race After Disappointing Straw Poll Finish – ABC News.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will abandon his presidential bid.
Pawlenty finished third at the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota placed first in the GOP poll with 4,823 votes, narrowly beating Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who had 4,671 votes. Pawlenty received 2,293 ballots.
”We needed a boost from Ames that didn’t happen,” Pawlenty told staff on a conference call Sunday morning.
He is expected to announce the end of his campaign later Sunday in a TV appearance.
(Source: CNN)
