Fox News is reporting former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will end his bid for 2012 Republican presidential nomination after a disappointing third place finish in the Iowa straw poll.
No link yet, I’ll update this as soon as I have more.
Update: Ok here’s the Fox News story on Gov. Pawlenty’s withdrawal… The Associated Press has more here.
Personally, I’m a little disappointed to see Gov. Pawlenty withdraw this early in the race. I know many people like to minimize the importance of the Ames straw poll, but the fact is Gov. Pawlenty made sizable investment Iowa, he worked the ground game over a year, and poured most of his remaining campaign funds into this effort and still finished a distant third.
Frankly, I don’t see how he go back to potential donors after this and convince them to pour more money into an effort that hasn’t gained much traction.
Edit: A few random thoughts in no particular order:
- As I said I’m sorry to see Gov. Pawlenty drop out this early in the race, but he always struck me as a bit of long shot and he never seemed generated the kind of buzz a presidential candidate needs.
- I’m going to go out on limb with this, but I suspect Herman Cain may be the next to withdraw. Mr. Cain has generated enough buzz to keep his campaign going for a while longer, but his disappointing showing in the Ames Straw Poll makes me wonder if he’ll make it to the New Hampshire primary.
- Former Senator Rick Santorum’s surprisingly good showing in Ames breathes new life into what seemed like a lost cause. It’s worth keeping an eye on him to see he can capitalize on his success in the Ames Straw Poll… He may turn out to be the campaigns new dark horse.
- Sarah Palin, I think she’s running… If she is she has to make it official sooner rather than later. I won’t claim to speak for all of her supporters, but personally, I’m getting a little bored with all the flirting, if you’re running, quit screwing around and make it official… If not get off the stage and stop stealing the spotlight from the real candidates.