Pawlenty se retire...

Il a terminé au troisième rang du Ames straw poll hier...

"After finishing a distant third in the Ames straw poll, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) on Sunday told supporters on a conference call he's dropping out of the presidential race, the Associated Press reports.

Pawlenty will formally announce his decision during an interview on This Week, the AP reports.

After yesterday's third-place finish, Pawlenty said in a statement, "we made progress in moving from the back of the pack into a competitive position for the caucuses, but we have a lot more work to do." But in that statement, he said his campaign is "just beginning."

Pawlenty has struggled lately to maintain the momentum his campaign enjoyed when he first entered the fray. A recent poll showed him trailing Rep. Thad McCotter (R-MI) in Michigan. And in July, Pawlenty reported raising an anemic $4.2 million for his campaign.

On Thursday night, during a Republican primary debate, Pawlenty tried to fight his way back into top-tier status. He traded barbs with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) over an obscure legislative battle in Minnesota, and he attempted to come back strong in attacking Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care law."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/pawlenty-drops-out-of-presidential-race.php?ref=fpa