Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the presidential race Sunday following his third-place finish in Saturday’s Ames Straw Poll.
“We needed to get some lift to continue on and have a pathway forward,” Pawlenty said on ABC’s “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.”
Pawlenty was seeking a boost from Ames, but his distant third-place finish — behind first-place finisher Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and second-place finisher Texas Rep. Ron Paul — doomed his chances of drawing the donations and enthusiasm he needed to regain ground.
Pawlenty had expended considerable energy and resources to perform well in the poll.