WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has dropped out of the Republican presidential primary following a disappointing performance in the Iowa Straw Poll. Meanwhile, the event cemented Michele Bachmann's position as GOP front-runner, even as the Republican pack adds Rick Perry, who is considered a strong candidate and a possible game-changer in the race to see who will take on President Barack Obama in next year's race for the White House.
Pawlenty reportedly revealed the news that he was dropping out on a private conference call with supporters, before publicly announcing the decision. Pawlenty came in third in the Iowa Straw Poll, which has no binding impact on the primary race but has become a media event in recent election cycles.
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann finished first in the event, a win that adds further legitimacy to her status as front-runner in the early race to be the GOP presidential nominee in the 2012 election.
While Pawlenty has dropped out of the race, the weekend did not actually see the Republican field narrow. Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his bid for the nomination Saturday. Pundits have predicted that Perry's run could shake up the Republican field, as he is seen as a high-profile contender with significant experience.
Perry enters a field that includes former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Speaker Of The House Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.
The Iowa Straw Poll is considered an important early indicator of opinion in a state that holds the first nomination event.
The poll has had a spotty record in predicting the eventual nominee. George W. Bush won the poll in 1999 and went on to win the presidency in 2000. Bob Dole tied for first place in 1995 and would go on to the nomination, though he would lose to President Bill Clinton in the general election. George H.W. Bush won the event the first time it was held in 1979. Though he would not be the Republican presidential nominee in the upcoming election, he would run on the ticket as the vice presidential nominee and would eventually be elected as president in his own right in 1988.
However, Mitt Romney won the poll in 2007 and eventually lost the nomination fight to John McCain. In a now-famous upset that has since seriously hurt the credibility of the poll, Pat Robertson won the event in 1987, in an election that would see George Bush easily secure the nomination and win the presidency.
The Iowa caucuses will take place on February 6.
Pawlenty is the first official candidate to drop out of the nomination race. The run, which was officially announced in May, lasted less than three months and the withdraw takes place nearly six months before the caucus.
'I wish it would have been different. But obviously the pathway forward for me doesn't really exist so we are going to end the campaign,' he told ABC's political TV show 'This Week.'
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